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L  K,\itttflJl|>i-': 


A  HISTORY  OF 

REGIMENTAL 

HEADQUARTERS 

COMPANY 


ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY  FOURTH 
U.  S.  FIELD  ARTILLERY 


THE  OTTERBEIN    PRESS 
DAYTON,    OHIO 


Copyright,  1919 

By  L.  E.  KIRTLEY 

Akron,  Ohio 


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To  the  Members  of  the  Headquarters  Company, 
Somewhere  in  the  U.  S.  A. 

Dear  Fellows: 

After  many  delays  your  Company  History  is  fin- 
ally completed,  and  here  it  is  for  you  to  inspect,  enjoy, 
add  to,  and  keep  forever. 

There  is  one  thing  I  want  to  ask  of  you,  each  and 
every  one.  And  this  is  what  it  is:  Don't  criticize  the  con- 
tents! It  will  not  please  everybody.  We  know  it  is  far 
from  complete,  and  a  great  many  changes  had  to  be  made 
in  the  original  plans.  But  it  has  been  an  imselfish  labor 
on  the  part  of  everv  one  connected  with  it,  and  if  it  isn't 
entirely  satisfactory  just  say  to  yourself,  "What  didn't 
I  do  that  would  have  made  it  better?" 

The  old  outfit  is  a  memory  now  to  us  all.  We  are 
back  at  work  in  civil  life  and  things  are  different.  We 
will  miss  the  old  bunch,  but  we  need  never  lose  the  spirit 
of  the  two  years  we  s]}ent  together.  With  the  other 
editors  I  want  to  say,  "Remember  the  Headquarters  Com- 
pany, and  when  you  talk  over  war  times  with  the  children 
or  friends,  get  the  book  out  and  boost  the  United  States." 

Sincerely, 

LORIN  KIRTLEY. 


c     «    «     I  »  c     "c  •  ' 


FOREWORD 

To  write  at  all  is  an  art  at  which  few  of  us  can  hope  to  excel.  To  write  of 
passing  events  with  an  eye  focused  from  the  future  is  a  real  task.  This  little 
book  is  the  story  of  two  formative  years  of  our  lives  and  is  the  result  of  a  spoken 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  Company  for  such  a  record  of  events. 

Many  members  of  the  Company  have  helped  make  the  work  a  success,  anrj 
to  each  and  every  one  who  did  his  bit  we  express  the  a])preciation  of  the  entire 
outfit. 

Also  our  thanks  go  out  to  our  friends  outside  of  the  Company  who  have 
given  advdce  and  assistance. 

The  Editors. 

Jim    ;iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii    inn 


LIAISON 

In  a  military  sense,  liaison  is  the  co-ordination  of  the  various  arms  of  the 
service,  that  is  to  say  the  co-ordination  of  the  artillery  with  the  infantry,  the 
engineers,  the  signal  corps,  and  so  forth.  By  this  co-ordination  all  arms  of  the 
service  may  work  and  act  together  to  achieve  a  definite,  common  object,  each  arm 
doing  its  particular  work,  at  the  same  time  knowing  what  its  fellow  arms  are  doing 
and  thus  being  able  to  guide  its  own  movements  and  plans  accordingly. 

Within  a  regiment,  all  organization  must  be  in  complete  liaison ;  they  must 
know  what  the  regiment  as  a  whole  is  doing  or  is  to  do,  and  what  part  each  unit 
is  to  play  so  that  all  units  may  work  together  in  complete  understanding  and  to 
their  common  objective. 

So  we  come  to  the  Regimental  Headquarters  Company  in  a  Field  Artillery 
Regiment.  This  company  co-ordinates  the  two  battalions  of  the  regiment  with 
the  regimental  commander  or  his  headquarters.  It  co-ordinates  the  artillery  regi- 
ment with  its  artillery  brigade  headc[uarters  and  with  the  Infantry  with  which  it 
is  working. 

The  means  of  this  co-ordination,  the  liaison,  is  communication  and  this  com- 
munication is  supplied  by  groups  of  highly  trained  specialists  composing  the 
Headquarters  Company. 

In  the  company  are  telephone  operators  and  linesmen,  radio  operators,  pro- 
jector operators  (flash  signalling),  semaphore  operators  (flag  signalling),  bicycle, 
motorcycle  and  mounted  couriers,  together  with  the  scouts  and  runners.  All  of 
these  many  specialists  may  be  used  separately  or  all  may  be  used  jointly  to  get 
a  message  through.  If  one  fails,  the  others  will  fill  the  gap  and  the  machine  will 
continue  to  run. 

It  is,  by  these  groups  of  highly  trained  men  to  be  found  in  Artillery  Head- 
quarters Company,  that  the  Commanding  Officer  directs  and  controls  the  opera- 
tion of  his  fighting  machine,  the  Field  Artillery  Regiment. 

Welton  a.  Snow, 
Captain  and  Adjutant,  134th  Field  Artillery. 

M145941 


3fn  iHemoriam 


CAPTAIN  HARRY  H.  HEDGES 

A  military  machine  relies  on  many  things  for  its  efficiency  and  of  these  the 
one  great  big  underlying  essential  is  LOYALTY. 

Without  this  quality  in  officer  and  man  all  other  things  are  as  nothing.  The 
most  efficient,  most  experienced,  the  best  trained  officer  or  man  is  worthless  un- 
less he  has  that  quality  which  enables  him  to  carry  out  the  wishes  and  policy  of 
his  superiors  without  quibble  or  question.  Loyalty  to  a  leader  does  not  mean 
that  you  must  hold  him  in  high  personal  regard.  It  does  not  mean  that  you 
must  become  a  mere  mechanical  instrument  of  execution.  Tt  does  not  mean  that 
you  must  not,  under  any  conditions,  differ  in  opinion  from  your  superior.  It  does 
not  mean  that  you  shall  be  forever  holding  up  the  mirror  of  adulation  to  tht 
superior.  It  means  that  you  so  place  )^ourself  in  relation  to  the  superior  that 
you  are  able  to  see  matters  thru  his  eyes  and  when  honestly  unable  to  do  so  you 
can  go  to  him  with  simple  directness  and  state  your  differences.  Such  an  atti- 
tude can  never  be  misunderstood  by  any  reasonable  person,  and  the  superior  who 
has  or  can  gather  men  around  him  who  have  this  attribute  can  ever  be  reason- 
ably sure  his  mistakes  will  neither  be  numerous  or  dangerous. 

No  known  method  of  instruction,  no  form  of  coercion  will  produce  LOY'- 
ALTY,  and,  unfortunately,  it  does  not  exist  nor  can  it  be  cultivated  in  some 
natures. 

If  any  one  should  ask  me  what  one  quality  was  pre-eminent  in  Captain 
Harry  H.  Hedges,  I  would,  without  hesitation,  say  LOY'ALTY'. 

From  the  day  he  undertook  the  organization  of  the  Headquarters  Company 
of  the  134th  Field  Artillery,  he  gave  of  his  best,  and  when  he  passed  into  the  great 
beyond  he  left  behind  him  only  friends  and  admirers.  - 

H.  M.  Bush, 
Colonel  134th  Field  Artillerv. 


SECTION  I 


Training  in  America 
and  Overseas 


ORGANIZATION  AND  TRAINING  IN  AMERICA 

Prior  to  the  declaration  of  war  with  Germany,  there  was  in  the  State  of 
Ohio  one  BattaHon  of  Field  Artillery,  composed  of  three  batteries  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-one  men  each,  and  a  ITeadqnarters  Detachment  of  seventeen 
men.  On  the  declaration  of  war  April  15,  1917,  this  Battalion  was  at  Fort  Sheri- 
dan, Illinois,  waiting  to  be  mustered  out  of  the  Federal  Service  after  serving 
eight  months  on  the  Mexican  border.  An  order  came  through  immediately  hold- 
ing this  Battalion  in  service  and  making  it  a  nucleus  around  which  the  First  Ohio 
Field  Artillery  was  formed.  On  the  last  day  of  April  orders  were  received  to 
proceed  to  Camp  Perry,  Ohio,  and  it  was  thought  that  Camp  Perry  would  be 
made  a  mobilization  camp  for  the  new  Eegiment.  However,  in  the  latter  part  of 
May  a  flood  from  Lake  Erie  made  this  camp  unfit  for  any  training.  On  the  28th 
of  June  the  Battalion  was  ordered  to  Fort  Benjamin  Harrison,  Indiana,  as  an 
instruction  Battalion.  Arriving  there  on  June  29th,  they  worked  as  instructors 
in  the  First  Reserve  Officers'  Training  Camp,  and  received  high  praise  from  both 
the  officer  instructors  and  the  students. 

This  is  the  history  of  the  Headquarter?  Company.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary 
to  record  the  chain  of  events  leading  up  to  the  recruiting  and  organization  of  the 
Company.  The  first  part  of  July,  Major  Harold  M.  Bush  received  orders  to 
recruit  a  Regiment  up  to  war  strength,  promoting  him  to  the  rank  of  Colonel 
and  designating  the  Regiment  as  the  134th  U.  S.  Field  Artillery.  This  order 
also  promoted  Captain  Hurl  J.  Albrecht,  Battery  B  to  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  Capt. 
Evan  J.  Williams,  Battery  A,  to  Major,  Commanding  the  First  Battalion ;  Capt. 
Lawrence  S.  Schlegel,  Battery  C,  to  IMajor.  Commanding  the  Second  Battalion, 
Lieut.  Welton  A.  Snow  was  promoted  to  Captain,  Conmianding  the  Headquarters 
Company ;  Instrument  Sergeant  Harry  H.  Hedges,  Battery  B,  was  commissioned 
First  Lieutenant  and  detailed  as  recruiting  officer  in  the  Canton-Akron  district. 

Recruiting. 

Lieutenant  Hedges  opened  his  office  on  July  13th.  1917.  and  started  recruit- 
ing a  Headquarters  Company  and  Band.  It  is  said  that  Lieutenant  Hedges  used 
the  old-time  methods  of  the  recruiting  officers  of  the  Field  Artillery :  "Every  man 
gets  a  horse,  no  walking,  no  guard  duty,  no  kitchen  police"  and  so  forth.     Most 


12  THE     LIAISON 

of  the  men  did  not  know  what  those  things  were  anyway,  so  it  did  not  matter. 
His  methods  mu>t  have  been  good  for  too  much  cannot  be  said  of  the  quahty 
of  the  men  he  enhsted. 

The  Company  was  organized  and  went  into  camp  at  Silver  Lake,  Ohio, 
about  the  middle  of  July.  They  were  drilled  and  some  of  the  roughest  edges  were 
taken  off  in  this  camp.  This  drill  was  foot  drill,  long  hikes  into  the  country, 
and  many  rounds  on  the  race  track  each  day.  These  hikes  and  the  running  got 
the  men  into  pretty  fair  physical  condition.  They  were  allowed  C[uite  a  lot  of 
liberties  and  many  of  the  men  went  to  their  homes  each  night  rather  than  sleep 
in  pup  tents  or  campers'  tents  at  the  lake,  these  being  the  only  quarters  available 
at  the  time. 

The  13th  of  September  saw  a  detail  of  fifty  men  leave  for  Fort  Ben.  They 
were  followed  on  the  27th  by  the  rest  of  the  Company  and  the  Band  enroute  for 
Camp  Sheridan,  Alabama.  This  detachment  went  by  way  of  Fort  Ben  where 
they  were  joined  by  the  Headquarters  men  wlio  were  there-  It  was  on  this 
occasion  that  Colonel  Bush  reviewed  the  Band  for  the  first  time — in  his  night 
shirt.  Leaving  Fort  Ben  at  1:15  p.  m.  on  the  28th,  we  arrived  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  on  the  30th  and  pulled  out  to  camp  the  same  day.  Ihe  Second  Bat- 
talion, recruited  at  Dayton,  Jackson  and  Mt.  Vernon,  had  arrived  there  some 
days  before.  We  were  followed,  in  two  weeks,  by  the  First  Battalion,  from 
Fort  Ben. 

Camp  Sheridan  was  the  mobilization  and  training  camp  for  the  37th 
or  "Buckeye"  Division.  The  Division  was  commanded  by  Major  General 
Treat.  The  134th  was  assigned  to  the  62nd  Field  Artillery  Brigade,  commanded 
by  Brigadier  General  William  G.  Smith. 

Camp  Sheridan. 

When  the  Headquarters  Company  arrived  at  Camp  Sheridan  we  found  a 
most  disagreeable  place.  Part  of  the  camp  was  flooded  and  some  of  the  Infantry 
who  were  there  had  to  move  to  higher  ground,  but  we  were  lucky  enough  to  get 
just  "mud"  for  our  share.  We  unloaded,  put  up  tents,  and  temporary  picket 
lines,  and  got  straightened  around  in  general.  A  couple  of  weeks  time  was 
necessary  for  the  fixing  up  of  the  tents  and  baggage  of  the  officers  and  men. 
Then  the  work  of  cleaning  and  fixing  up  the  camp  started.  Huge  drill  fields 
and  a  gun  park  were  cleared  of  brush,  weeds  and  cotton  stalks,  and  leveled  off 
to  the  best  of  our  ability.  The  picket  lines  were  also  put  in  shape  for  per- 
manent use. 

The  training  of  the  Regiment  started.  For  the  Headquarters  Company 
this  meant  that  there  were  classes  in  half  a  dozen  different  things  every  day.  We 
had  classes  in  telephone  work,  wireless,  semaphore,  wigwag,  messenger  and 
instrument  work.  Each  man  was  supposed  to  be  able  to  take  over  any  other 
man's  work  if  necessary.  This  idea  was  followed  out  for  several  months  when 
it  was  found  that  this  system  was  impossible,  for  a  good ,  wireless  man  might 
not  amount  to  anything  as  an  instrument  man.  So  the  men  were  assigned  to 
details  where  they  knew  most  about  the  work  and  where  they  specialized  on 
one  job.     There  were  a  few  changes  made,  of  course,  but  the  different  details 


THE     LIAISON  15 

remained  practically  the  same  all  through  the  training  and  the  war.     The  men 
were  interested  in  their  work  and  went  into  it  whole-heartedly. 

In  addition  to  the  detail  work  we  had  to  learn  to  ride.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  painful  of  all  of  our  exper- 
iences. Most  all  of  us  had  at  least  seen  horses  before  enlisting,  but  few  of  us 
had  become  intimate  with  them.  The  horses  we  had  were  what  are  generally 
called  nags.  Their  contours  were  very  abrupt  in  some  places  and  afforded  good 
hand  holds,  but  were  most  inconvenient  in  other  ways.  At  first,  while  doing 
monkey  drill,  we  tried  to  get  friendly  enough  with  our  mounts  to  have  them 
let  us  stay  on  their  backs-  But  they  did  not  like  us  very  well  and  it  was  not 
uncommon  to  hear  a  yell  and  then  see  some  poor  unfortunate  go  sprawling  onto 
the  ground,  grabbing  at  anything  that  was  handy.  In  all  of  these  falls  there  were 
no  serious  results  excepting  in  the  case  of  Taylor  Whittaker  who  stopped  the 
earth  with  his  hands  one  day  and  received  a  broken  wrist.  Then  we  had  three 
awful  days  of  it  under  Captain  Hollenback,  and  were  finally  passed  as  good 
enough.  Some  of  the  men  were  such  good  horsemen  and  liked  it  so  well  that 
they  could  scarcely  sit  down  to  their  meals  they  were  so  anxious  to  get  back 
at  it.  Most  all  of  us  wanted  to  get  back  at  the  instructors  who  sat  in  the  center 
of  the  bull  ring  and  told  us  what  to  do  and  then  laughed  at  us  for  not  being  able 
to  do  it. 

Picks  and  Shovels. 

They  gave  us  a  horse  and  told  us  to  ride. 
But  we  didn't  see  the  pick  on  the  other  side. 

They  should  have  put  the  pick  and  shovel  on  the  nice  posters  that  we  saw 
telling  of  all  the  nice  things  in  the  Army.  But  some  of  us  would  have  enlisted 
anyway,  so  it  does  not  make  much  dift'erence.  There  was  plenty  of  pick  and 
shovel  work  to  do.  The  Old  Man  saw  to  that ;  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  plenty 
of  strenuous  work.  When  the  camp  had  been  cleaned  up  and  the  picket  lines 
put  in  good  shape  he  looked  around  for  more  and  was  very  successful  in  his  search. 
All  of  the  old  roads  had  to  be  repaired,  new  ones  built,  and  miles  of  ditches  had 
to  be  dug.  About  that  time  the  new  stables  were  built,  and  of  course  the  stalls 
had  to  be  leveled  off.  Also  they  were  not  right  and  had  to  be  changed  at  least 
once  a  week,  for  they  were  inspected  that  often  and  every  inspector  had  different 
ideas  as  to  how  they  should  be  fixed.  Xo  one  will  forget  the  4x20x18  that  had 
to  be  finished  up  by  working  at  night. 

In  fact  to  see  all  the  pick  and  shovel  work  going  on  around  the  camp  one 
would  be  led  to  think  that  it  was  a  great  factor  in  winning  a  war.  And  it  was. 
It  put  the  fellows  in  fine  shape,  and  then  we  did  have  quite  a  lot  of  it  to  do  on 
the  front. 

The  Coliseum. 

The  camp  was  built  around  an  old  county  fair  grounds  and  one  of  the  old 
buildings,  the  largest,  was  remodeled  for  use  as  an  auditorium  and  theater.  It 
was  a  huge  success.  A  great  many  good  shows  that  were  too  big  to  be  put  on 
at  the  theater  down  town  were  put  on  there.     The  best  part  of  it  was  that  the 


16  THELIAISON 

Smileage  coupons  that  were  sent  from  home  were  good  there.  When  there 
were  no  regular  shows  on  there  were  some  good  movies  or  a  lecture.  We  en- 
joyed it  very  much. 

The  big  Christmas  celebration  was  held  in  this  building.  Governor  Cox 
came  down  from  Ohio  and  gave  out  the  presents  that  were  provided  by  the  Ked 
Cross  for  the  soldiers  in  camp. 

Along  in  the  spring  they  held  the  "foolish"  examination  there.  Everv- 
body  had  to  go  over  and  draw  pictures  and  put  dow^n  funny  sayings  and  be 
graded  on  them.  They  called  it  a  psychological  examination.  If  that  was 
psychology  the  most  of  us  do  not  shine  in  that  line. 

A  Trip  Across  the  Rivkr. 

It  was  decided  that  the  scout  detail  needed  instruction  and  practice  in  map 
drawing.  The  scouts  of  the  entire  company  were  detailed  to  map  the  country 
lying  between  the  camp  and  the  Alabama  river.  The  map  was  finished  in  about 
ten  days  and  the  Colonel  was  so  well  pleased  that  he  sent  the  detail  acroi^s  the 
river  to  complete  the  map  as  far  as  the  L.  &  X.  railroad. 

They  started  out  one  afternoon  in  the  latter  part  of  April — a  party  of 
eighteen  mounted  men  with  an  old  escort  wagon — rode  out  to  the  Coosada  ferry, 
were  ferried  across  the  river  and  rode  three  and  a  half  miles  up  stream  to  a  small 
grove.  Arriving  there  about  dusk  it  was  decided  to  camp  there  for  the  night. 
Picket  lines  were  up  and  packs  off  the  horses  w^hen  an  automobile  drove  up. 
The  owner  of  the  grove  hopped  out  and  ordered  the  men  out.  Since  obeying 
orders  was  one  of  the  best  things  that  they  did  they  packed  up  and  moved  down 
the  river  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  made  camp  in  a  field. 

The  work  was  started  under  the  direction  of  Saw-mill  Jones.  Four  parties 
went  out ;  one  laid  out  and  chained  the  base  line  for  the  whole  thing ;  the  other 
three  parties  started  at  the  same  point  and  worked  in  different  directions.  It  was 
their  job  to  "take"  the  topography  and  draw  in  the  map  on  their  plane  tables. 

"Hard  Charlie"  Bullock  who  w^as  acting  mess  sergeant  and  cook  made  a  trip 
back  across  the  river  for  more  supplies.  Skinny  Bullard^  having  nothing  to  do. 
decided  to  come  over  to  take  care  of  the  horses  and  have  a  good  time.  Bullock 
had  one  man  to  help  him  around  the  camp.  The  issue  tomatoes  and  bacon  were 
traded  in  at  a  small  commissary  near  the  "forbidden  grove,"  for  perfectly  good 
chickens  and  eggs.  It  was  at  this  commissary  that  Saw-mill  showed  himself 
a  "hard  guy."  The  negroes  were  going  to  hold  a  dancing  party  on  Friday  night 
and  invited  the  boys.  Saw-mill  pulled  out  his  brush  knife,  about  two  feet  long, 
and  said,  "I'll  be  there."  A  big  "buck  nigger"  spoke  up  with.  "Yas.  suh.  Boss,  and 
Ah  reckun  you  all  kin  have  the  flo." 

The  fellows  made  many  trips  to  the  neighboring  small  towns  at  night.  As 
he  was  returning  one  night  Woolfe  was  halted  at  the  edge  of  camp  just  for  a 
joke.  He  did  not  halt  and  a  shot  was  fired  in  the  air  to  scare  him.  It  worked  all 
right  for  he  nearly  fell  ofT  his  horse  and  yelled.  "Please  don't  shoot.  Mister.  Fm 
a  soldier  of  the  camp." 

Bob  Myers  had  a  little  horse  that  he  thought  was  just  about  as  fine  an  animal 
as  there  was  in  the  country.     But  the  horse  did  not  like  him.  or  so  it  seemed,  for 


THE     LIAISON  17 

every  time  that  the  horses  were  ridden  down  to  water  Rob  was  seen  to  ride  out 
of  camp  on  his  favorite,  and  every  time  the  horses  came  back  from  the  river  he 
came  back  afoot.  When  asked  about  the  hor^e  he  would  say,  "He  pohced  me 
again.  That  is  the  last  time  I  am  going  to  ride  that  horse."  But  the  next  day 
it  would  happen  just  the  same. 

The  day  that  the  work  was  completed  all  but  three  of  the  horses  had  been 
turned  out  to  graze.  After  the  camp  had  been  cleaned  up  and  the  packs  made 
the  men  went  out  to  get  the  horses.  But  they  went  after  them  the  wrong  way 
with  the  result  that  they  started  off  up  the  river  at  the  gallop.  There  was  a  wild 
chase  after  them  and  a  whole  hour  was  wasted  before  they  were  all  captured. 
Everybody  enjoyed  it  though  for  they  had  been  wanting  to  try  out  their  horses 
and  that  was  a  good  chance. 

The  trip  back  was  made  by  way  of  Montgomery,  the  party  arriving  at 
camp  at  about  4:30  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  a  wonderful  trip  and  everybody 
enjoyed  it  immensely.  The  field  work  was  assembled  the  next  week  and  a 
tracing  and  blueprints  were  made.  The  finished  map  passed  the  strictest  "cen- 
sorship" and  was  used  on  several  problems. 

The  Pistol  Rang?:. 

The  pistol  range  was  located  about  a  mile  back  of  camp  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Alabama  river.  It  was  built  by  details  from  every  organization  that  had  any 
pistol  practicing  to  do.  The  "Range"  was  a  mound  about  six  hundred  feet  long 
and  twenty  feet  high,  with  a  trench  ten  feet  deep  along  one  side  for  the  operators 
of  the  moving  targets.  The  range  was  large  enough  for  a  hundred  men  to  fire 
at  the  same  time  and  the  ranges  were  twenty-five  and  fifteen  yards.  Every 
man  was  allowed  to  fire  forty  shots  for  practice  and  then  forty  more  for  a  mark 
to  go  on  his  service  record. 

During  our  training  there  were  many  nice  trips  out  into  the  country.  These 
gave  us  good  exercise  as  well  as  a  chance  to  improve  our  horsemanship.  We  had 
lots  of  interesting  problems  on  open  warfare.  Part  of  them  were  for  the  Artillery 
only  but  on  some  of  them  we  worked  with  the  Infantry  on  regular  maneuvers 
This  was  very  interesting  for  it  was  closer  to  the  real  thing  than  anything  we 
had  had,  and  we  were  anxious  to  get  into  the  real  thing  at  that  time. 

The  Artillery  Range. 

The  Camp  Sheridan  Artillery  Range  was  located  six  miles  northeast  of  the 
camp  on  the  Wetumpka  Road.  The  range  was  laid  out  in  the  shape  of  a  wedge, 
being  about  half  a  mile  wide  at  the  gun  positions  and  a  mile  wide  at  the  targets. 
The  ground  was  nearly  level  for  the  first  two  miles,  while  from  there  on  to  the 
end  of  the  range  it  was  broken  by  transverse  swales. 

The  Infantry  had  dug  several  lines  of  trenches  across  the  range  to  represent 
first  and  second  friendly  lines  and  first  enemy  lines.  In  fact  everything  was  made 
as  near  like  actual  w^ar  conditions  as  possible.  The  engineers  had  charge  of  this 
trench  work  and  all  of  the  other  work  on  the  range  with  the  exception  of  the 
Artillery  observation  dugout. 


18  THELIAISON 

The  first  targets  were  at  a  range  of  2,000  yards  and  the  last  ones,  or  the 
maximum  range,  was  6,000  yards.  ^lost  all  of  the  firing  was  done  at  short 
ranges — between  2,000  and  3,000  yards. 

One  of  the  big  things  in  our  military  lives  at  this  camp  was  the  dugout  and 
connecting  trenches  that  we  made.  For  two  months  a  detail  of  twenty  men 
tramped  six  miles  to  the  range  each  morning.  They  worked  for  about  five  hours 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  Norton  and  "Saw-mill"  Jones,  cutting  poles  and 
logs  and  digging  in  the  trenches,  then  tramped  back  to  camp.  The  results,  aside 
from  a  lot  of  sore  hands  and  backs,  was  a  nice  observation  dugout  and  connect- 
ing trenches.  An  inspector  from  the  Fort  Sill  School  of  Fire  complimented  us 
on  our  good  work  and  seemed  to  think  that  it  was  as  fine  as  could  be  made — 
but  he  had  never  been  ''across."  We  thought  that  it  was  fine,  too,  but  we  were 
in  the  same  class  with  him.  Our  eyes  were  opened  when  we  saw  the  French 
and  later  the  German  dugouts  with  electric  lights  and  pianos  in  them.  Then 
we  realized  that  truly  the  only  results  of  our  labors  were  the  aches  and  pains. 

Smoke  Bombs. 

A  smoke  pot  range  was  made  at  the  end  of  the  road  that  paralleled  our  com- 
pany street.  Targets  were  made  of  burlap  sacks  strung  on  wires  and  raised  on 
poles  so  as  to  be  seen  from  the  School,  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  yards.  The 
smoke  pots  on  ten  foot  poles  were  filled  with  powder  and  touched  ofif  in  different 
positions,  the  smoke  balls  giving  the  effect  of  shell  bursts  around  the  targets. 

"Y.  59." 

Our  "Y"  building  (Xo.  59),  was  a  very  popular  place.  There  were  always 
plenty  of  good  books,  magazines  and  papers  there  as  well  as  writing  material 
and  tables.  The  building  was  always  occupied  by  a  large  number  of  fellows 
reading  and  writing,  or  playing  the  piano  and  victrola.  Two  nights  every  week 
they  had  movies  there  and  most  all  of  them  were  good  ones,  too.  Religious 
services  were  held  every  Sunday  and  all  of  us  liked  to  hear  Doctor  McGurk 
talk.  He  gave  many  fine  talks  there.  On  several  occasions  girls  from 
Montgomery  and  a  girls'  college  gave  musical  programs  which  were  enjoyed 
very  much.     Mr.  Nollen,  the  secretary,  was  our  especial  friend. 

Firing  Practice. 

The  first  day  that  there  was  any  firing  done  on  the  range,  the  entire  Brigade 
marched  out  headed  by  the  Bands  of  the  three  regiments.  The  best  guns  and 
gun  crews  were  picked  from  the  material  and  personnel  of  the  134th  Regiment. 
The  firing  data  was  figured  by  Captain  Hedges  of  the  Headquarters  Company. 
This  firing  was  merely  to  test  out  the  range.  However,  some  of  us  made  it  a 
great  day  in  our  lives,  the  first  day  that  we  had  seen  field  pieces  fired. 

On  an  occasion  not  long  after  this  there  was  a  bad  accident  during  a  rain 
storm.  The  Batteries  had  just  unlimbered  their  pieces  at  the  range  and  the 
drivers  were  going  back  with  the  limbers  when  there  was  a  loud  crash.  A  bolt 
of  lightning  had  struck  the  wet  horses.     One  man  was  killed  and  several  were 


THELIAISON  19 

injured.  Many  horses  were  thrown  to  the  ground  and  five  of  them  were  killed. 
The  men  were  scared,  but  they  took  it  all  as  in  the  day's  work,  and  as  their  real 
initiation  into  the  serious  business  of  war  in  which  they  had  engaged. 

A  great  many  simple  artillery  problems  were  fired  on  the  range.  These 
were  our  first  experiences  with  firing  batteries,  for  up  to  this  time  the  batteries 
had  only  gone  into  position  and  assumed  that  they  were  firing.  The  first  few 
times  every  nerve  around  the  Regimental  and  Battalion  Headquarters'  Stations 
was  tense  when  the  word  "On  the  Way"  came  down  over  the  phones.  Every 
one  waited  breathlessly  for  the  crack  of  the  gun  and  the  scream  of  the  shell  as 
it  flew  towards  the  targets.     Excitement !     We  thought  that  it  was  fine. 

We  got  our  company  organization  so  that  it  worked  fine  and  then  came  the 
night  problems  with  gas  drill  at  the  same  time.  After  we  had  had  a  few  of  these 
night  afifairs  we  decided  that  war  was  not  so  much  fun  after  all  and  began  to 
wonder  just  what  it  would  be  like  when  we  got  "over  there,"  and  had  to  go  at 
it  every  day  and  night  without  any  rests  between  "problems." 

Rumors. 

The  weeks  passed  by,  "playing  war"  grew  stale — and  as  a  consequence  the 
army  Rumor  was  born.  They  were  fine,  these  army  rumors.  If  anyone  took  a 
notion  that  he  would  like  to  go  to  Russia  or  some  such  place,  he  merely  told 
some  of  his  friends  that  he  had  heard  that  the  Reg.,  Brig.,  or  Div.  was  to  go 
there  the  next  week.  In  half  an  hour  that  story  spread  all  over  the  Regiment. 
Always  we  were  disappointed  but  they  helped  to  keep  up  spirits  and  gave  some 
fellows  a  chance  to  exercise  their  imaginations.  Near  Thanksgiving  time  those 
infernal  rumors  started.  "We  were  to  be  fully  equipped  and  sail  for  overseas  by 
Christmas."  So  we  sat  down  and  wrote  to  our  homes  telling  the  folks  the  glad 
news.  But  the  time  came  and  with  it  no  equipment  or  moving  orders.  That 
was  our  first  experience  with  rumors,  but  we  had  plenty  of  them  afterwards, 
even  to  the  day  of  final  discharge.  About  three  times  a  week  we  went  to 
France,  Italy  or  Russia.  Even  while  writing  this  story  in  France  there  are 
rumors  current  to  the  efifect  that  our  mechanics  are  getting  in  wood  to  make  sled 
runners  for  our  wagons  and  field  pieces,  to  be  used  by  us  in  Siberia. 

Montgomery. 

Evenings  and  Saturdays  found  a  good  representation  from  the  Headquar- 
ters Company  in  the  city  of  Montgomery.  The  three-mile  trip  was  made  by 
way  of  the  electric  line  for  a  jit,  or  by  taxi,  for  whatever  the  driver  had  the  nerve 
to  ask.  Many  complaints  finally  fixed  the  taxi  price  at  two  bits.  For  amuse- 
ments there  were  several  moving  picture  theatres  and  a  couple  of  vaudeville 
houses.  In  one  of  these  the  Keith  circuit  plays  were  put  on.  The  restaurants 
and  hotels  in  the  city  were  good,  if  a  little  high  priced. 

Passes  were  issued  at  most  any  time  and  we  enjoyed  the  city  very  much. 
The  people  opened  up  their  houses  to  the  men  from  camp  and  never  was  there 
a  bunch  treated  more  royally.  Dancing  parties  and  socials  were  held  almost 
every  night. 


20  THELIAISON 

Our  history  at  Camp  Sheridan  would  be  incomplete  without  mention  r»f 
Olin  Johnson,  our  newsboy,  who  lived  near  the  camp.  Every  day  he  was  on  the 
job,  no  matter  what  the  weather.  He  grew  to  be  especially  fond  of  the  boys  in 
Headquarters  Company,  and  on  our  part  the  youngster  became  a  regular  young 
brother  to  the  whole  outfit,  and  he  came  and  went  as  he  pleased.  His  home 
training  had  been  that  of  a  gentleman,  and  it  was  good  for  us  in  those  days 
when  we  were  separated  from  home  and  its  restraints,  to  have  the  boy  with  us. 

Taking  all  things  into  consideration  Camp  Sheridan  was  the  best  camp 
that  our  company  ever  saw.  The  quarters  were  good,  rations  and  other  sup- 
plies were  plentiful,  transportation  facilities  were  good,  and  it  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  the  healthiest  camp  in  the  States.  Of  course,  all  of  this  was  not 
thought  of  at  the  time  and  there  was  the  usual  amount  of  growling  that  is  to  be 
heard  in  a  camp.  But  since  we  have  seen  so  many  other  "so-called"  camps  we 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  when  we  left  there  at  4:15  p.  m.  on  June  14, 
1918,  enroute  for  "some  place"  we  left  our  best  camp. 

The  best  "rumor"  was  the  truth.  We  returned  in  the  early  dawn  from  the 
last  problem  at  the  range,  through  the  deserted  Infantry  camp,  and  it  was 
"rumored"  that  we  would  leave  within  a  week. 

Sheridan  to  Upton. 

At  full  war  strength,  owing  to  recent  additions  from  a  draft  camp  about  the 
12th  day  of  June,  1918,  we  received  orders  to  start  on  our  long  journey.  We 
felt  sure  where  we  would  finally  land,  but  as  we  had  enlisted  of  our  own  free 
will,  the  order  to  start  was  received  with  enthusiasm.  We  had  come  to  Sheridan 
as  a  bunch  of  recruits,  but  having  spent  nine  months  at  hard  military  training  in 
those  hot,  summer  days  of  Alabama,  we  believed  ourselves  fit  for  whatever 
should  come  in  France  and  on  the  W^estern  front.  We  had,  a  month  before, 
started  our  heavy  freight  on  its  way  over  seas.  This  order  necessitated  the 
packing  of  the  few  remaining  articles  quickly.  Per?onal  articles  were  packed  in 
our  barrack  bags.  There  was  a  lot  to  be  done,  but  it  did  not  take  long  to  get 
into  shape.  We  tore  down  the  large  pyramidal  tents  that  made  our  Company 
street.  They  had  been  our  homes  during  our  stay  at  Sheridan.  The  frame 
structure  which  held  the  tents  were  left  standing,  but  we  had  to  clean  all  of 
them  and  oil  the  floors.  We  policed  camp  thoroughly.  This  took  two  days. 
The  afternoon  of  the  13th  we  had  pitched  our  shelter  tents  in  the  field  back  of 
the  Regimental  Infirmary.  Our  last  night  at  Sheridan  was  spent  in  these  pup 
tents. 

The  Regiment  had  been  divided  into  three  sections  for  the  trip.  Our  sec- 
tion included  the  Supply  Company,  Battery  A.  and  our  own  Headquarters  Com- 
pany. Early  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  we  took  flown  our  tents,  made  our 
packs  and  waited  for  "march  order."  The  morning  passed  with  final  details, 
a  last  look  in  at  "Y  59",  etc.  We  ate  our  dinner  at  noon  and  shortly  after  loaded 
our  barracks  bags  and  other  baggage  on  trucks  that  carried  them  to  our  train. 

At  1 :30  p.  m.  we  formed  into  line  and  marched  to  the  train,  the  Regimental 
Band  playing  at  the  head  of  the  column.  The  train  was  on  a  nearby  switch. 
It  was  made  up  of  day  coaches  with  the  exception  of  the  baggage  car  and  the 


THE     LIAISON  21 

officers'  f'ullman.  The  baggage  car  was  for  the  kitchen,  the  cooks  had  already 
occupied  it  and  were  preparing  the  first  meaL  The  day  was  very  hot,  but  there 
was  quite  a  large  crowd  of  people  there  to  see  us  off. 

We  did  not  hesitate  long  in  filling  up  the  train,  but  lined  up  in  single  file  at 
each  door  and  climbed  in.  Each  double  seat  was  occupied  by  three  men  through- 
out the  train,  and  having  found  seats  we  packed  our  packs  away  into  the  racks 
above  and  settled  down  for  the  trip. 

About  4 :00  o'clock  the  train  started  to  move  out,  amid  the  yelling  and  wav- 
ing of  the  fellows  and  the  crowd  outside.  Guards  had  been  posted  at  each  door  to 
keep  the  men  in  their  own  coaches.  Only  officers  and  men  with  passes  could 
go  from  one  car  to  another.  Shortly  after  we  started  we  ate  our  first  meal 
enroute.  Eight  or  ten  men  were  detailed  to  carry  the  food  through  the  train 
and  dish  it  out  to  the  men.  This  was  some  job  as  every  time  that  the  train  would 
lurch  it  was  hard  to  keep  the  food  in  the  containers.  Our  mess  kits  were  washed 
in  barrels  of  water  which  were  at  the  end  of  each  car.  We  did  not  know^  where 
w^e  would  find  ourselves  at  the  end  of  this  train  trip,  but  we  did  know  that  it 
would  be  at  some  seaport  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Some  of  us  had  maps  and  these 
were  consulted  at  every  sto])  so  as  to  keep  track  of  our  whereabouts. 

At  nine  o'clock  each  night  we  took  the  seats  down  and  formed  one  long 
bunk  on  each  side  of  the  car,  unrolled  our  blankets  and  crawled  in  for  the  night. 
This  made  a  fairly  good  bed  and  we  slept  well.  The  first  thing  in  the  morning  we 
would  get  out  our  maps  and  find  out  where  we  had  travelled  during  the  night. 

Paul  Nolan,  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secretary,  who  had  been  in  the  Y  hut  next  to  our 
camp  at  Sheridan,  travelled  all  the  way  to  the  port  with  us.  Throughout  the  trip 
he  sold  candy,  soft  drinks,  and  tobacco,  passed  out  books  and  made  himself  gen- 
erally agreeable.  After  our  arrival  at  Camp  Upton  he  left  us  and  went  to  Wash- 
ington to  enlist.  His  name  will  be  remembered  by  all  of  us  for  a  long  time  for 
he  "sure  was  one  fine  man." 

After  travelling  all  of  the  first  night  we  arrived  at  Monroe,  S.  C,  where 
we  detrained  and  headed  by  the  I>and,  marched  up  into  the  town.  We  stopped 
in  front  of  the  Court  House  and  did  a  few  stunts  in  the  calesthenic  line  for  the 
benefit  of  the  populace,  and  to  get  limbered  up  a  bit.  We  then  marched  back 
to  the  station  and  before  boarding  the  train  each  one  of  us  received  a  cup  of 
iced  tea  from  the  Red  Cross.  During  the  stay  at  Sheridan  w^e  had  thought  that 
our  Colonel  was  a  confirmed  woman  hater,  but  at  this  and  other  stops  our  eyes 
were  opened  to  the  naked  truth.  He  was  seen  laughing  and  joking  with  one 
or  more  of  the  Red  Cross  girls  at  nearly  every  town  that  we  hit. 

Passing  through  Raleigh  and  Richmond,  we  arrived  in  Washington  about 
noon  and  had  just  a  glimpse  of  the  government  buildings  as  we  went  through. 
We  stopped  in  the  railroad  yards  at  the  edge  of  the  city  and  got  out  for  a  little 
exercise.  There  was  a  Red  Cross  canteen  beside  the  tracks  and  they  served  us 
hot  cofifee  and  sandwiches.     Then  we  boarded  our  train  and  were  ofif  again. 

Our  next  stopping  place  was  Philadelphia.  Going  through  the  city  on  an 
ele\ated  track  we  stopped  at  a  station  in  North  Philadelphia.  It  was  late  on 
Sunday  afternoon  when  we  arrived  there,  and  we  received  a  hearty  welcome. 


22  THELIAISON 

Everybody  waved  to  us  and  the  whistles  all  over  the  town  were  blowing.  George 
Bennet's  folks  live  in  Philadelphia,  and  they  had  been  waiting  all  day  for  the 
train  to  come  in.  He  got  to  see  them  and  visit  with  them  for  a  while  before 
we  pulled  out. 

All  that  we  saw  of  New  York  City  was  the  Pennsylvania  station  as  we 
passed  through,  for  it  was  nearly  midnight  and  very  dark.  After  we  had  gone 
through  the  tunnel  under  the  river  we  went  to  sleep  and  were  awakened  at  4:00 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  find  that  we  were  at  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.  We  started 
to  unload  at  once  and  by  daybreak  we  were  marching  up  the  hill  into  camp. 

This  was  the  first  barracks  camp  that  we  had  ever  been  in.  The  barracks 
were  large,  well  built  and  had  spring  beds.  There  were  two  large  furnaces  on 
each  floor,  but  the  rooms  were  so  large  that  they  did  very  little  good  and  it  was 
cold  every  night.  The  floors  were  scrubbed,  everything  cleaned  up,  beds  put  in 
order  and  we  were  settled  for  our  stay  in  that  camp. 

There  were  about  ten  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s,  two  Y.  W.  C.  A.'s,  a  K.  of  C,  and  a 
Jewish  welfare  building  in  the  camp.  Two  theatres  and  a  movie  house  com- 
pleted the  amusement  centers  of  the  place.  As  we  had  quite  a  lot  of  time  to 
ourselves  we  went  to  these  places  quite  often,  as  well  as  to  a  great  canteen  in 
the  center  of  the  camp.  The  second  day  an  order  was  issued  permitting  any 
one  who  had  relatives  in  or  near  New  York,  to  go  on  a  visit.  At  once  the  fel- 
lows started  to  think  up  some  long  forgotten  or  never  heard  of  relative  in  the 
city.  In  most  cases  it  worked  very  well  and  a  number  of  twenty-four  hour 
passes  were  issued. 

One  day  we  saw  a  colored  Infantry  company  drilling  on  the  road  just  out- 
side our  barracks.  They  stopped  right  in  front  and  the  first  sergeant  said, 
''Niggers,  I'se  gwine  to  shoot  down  that  column  and  Ah  wants  you  all  to  line 
up  on  the  smoke  from  the  bullet."  They  sure  did.  That  was  about  the  best 
drilled  company  that  we  ever  saw.  During  our  stay  in  this  camp  one  of  our 
men,  Todd  L.  Foust,  was  taken  sick  with  ptomaine  poisoning.  He  was  taken 
to  the  hospital  and  never  got  back  to  the  outfit. 

There  was  foot  drill  and  calisthenics  every  day  in  this  camp.  It  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  test  camp,  but  the  Colonel  said  that  we  had  to  keep  in  shape.  He 
always  was  strong  for  keeping  us  in  shape,  and  beneath  the  growsing  the  fel- 
lows are  glad  that  we  had  to  work  for  we  did  have  to  keep  fit  and  then  time 
passed  more  quickly. 

At  Camp  Upton  we  stayed  till  the  27th  of  June,  drawing  clothing  and 
equipment  that  we  needed.  During  our  stay  we  had  many  visitors ;  parents, 
brothers  and  sisters  and  sweethearts  of  the  boys.  They  all  took  advantage  of 
this,  the  last  chance  to  see  the  fellows  before  they  sailed.  For  that  reason  the 
stay  at  that  camp  was  enjoyed  very  much. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  we  started  for  Long  Island  City,  and 
arriving  there  took  the  ferry  down  the  river  to  Bush  Terminal,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
We  embarked  on  the  Australian  "Blue  Funnel"  H.  M.  S.  Nester,  and  the  next 
morning  at  about  10:30  we  bade  farewell  to  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  June  28,  1918. 


THELIAISON  23 


CROSSING  THE  ATLANTIC 


It  was  on  East  River  that  we  were  sailing.  We  did  not  go  across,  but  went 
down  stream  in  the  center  of  the  river  for  about  a  mile.  The  boat  was  crowded. 
The  weather  was  very  hazy  and  our  view  of  Xew  York  was  rather  blurred. 
We  could  see  the  Woolworth  building  looming  high  up  against  the  sky.  The 
river  was  a  busy  place  that  morning.  There  were  many  tugs  steaming 
around,  pulling  anything  from  a  log  of  wood  to  a  train  on  a  barge,  behind  them. 
There  were  many  passenger  ferries  crossing  the  river.  We  steamed  on  under 
the  Williamsburg  and  Brooklyn  bridges,  passing  many  of  the  largest  boat  docks 
in  the  world.  On  this  trip  we  had  a  very  good  view  of  the  harbor.  The  river 
was  not  very  wide  where  we  boarded  the  boat,  but  it  became  rapidly  wider  as 
we  went  along.  We  came  into  a  large  bay  where  we  saw  lots  of  camouflaged 
vessels  lying  at  anchor,  and  two  small  tugs  pulling  a  large  ocean  liner  in  to  its 
dock.  There  were  sailing  and  fishing  vessels  anchored  here,  too.  We  could 
just  see  the  Statue  of  Liberty  in  the  distance.  It  was  the  first  view  of  it  for 
many  of  us  and  there  was  lots  of  cheering.  During  the  trip  down  the  river  there 
were  two  Police  boats  alongside  the  ferry.  We  finally  reached  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yards  and  two  tugs  pulled  us  into  the  dock. 

We  piled  off  and  marched  single  file  into  a  large  warehouse.  It  was  empty, 
but  our  regiment  very  nearly  filled  it  to  its  capacity.  There  was  a  transport  on 
each  side  of  this  building,  and  we  were  to  load  on  to  the  one  to  our  right.  There 
were  two  large  gang  planks  leading  from  the  warehouse  to  the  deck  of  the  ship. 
Instructions  were  given  as  to  the  censorship  of  the  mail,  cards  were  handed 
out  for  us  to  send  home  to  let  the  folks  know  that  we  had  arrived  safely  over- 
seas (these  were  mailed  in  Xew  York  to  save  two  weeks'  time),  and  we  lined 
up  according  to  the  passenger  list.  After  being  inspected  by  the  Captain  and 
checked  by  a  Navy  inspector  we  marched  up  the  gang  plank.  One  of  the  ship's 
officers  directed  us  to  the  proper  decks.  The  enlisted  men  were  put  in  the 
various  holds,  the  cabins  being  reserved  for  the  officers.  These  holds  had  been 
arranged  for  the  transport  service.  Mess  tables,  each  seating  about  fifteen  men, 
took  up  almost  the  entire  floor  space.  Directly  above  the  tables  were  our  ham- 
mocks. They  were  hung  from  the  rafters  in  saw-tooth  fashion,  being  so  close 
as  to  put  sardines  to  shame.  There  were  racks  above  hammocks  where  we  were 
"allowed"  to  put  up  our  packs-  After  we  had  stowed  the  packs  we  hied  our- 
selves up  to  look  the  old  ship  over. 

The  ship  was  called  the  Nester  and  we  afterwards  named  it  "The  Good 
Ship  Nes-tah."  The  stevedores  had  nearly  all  the  cargo,  including  our  own  bar- 
racks bags  and  baggage,  loaded,  and  we  expected  to  leave  in  a  short  time.  Look- 
ing around  we  saw  many  interesting  things,  some  of  them  were  strange  to  us, 
but  when  we  found  a  three-inch  gun  mounted  on  the  after  deck  we  felt  a  lot 
better  about  any  subs  that  we  might  meet,  for  we  sure  knew  what  that  little 
gun  could  do. 

As  we  had  boarded  the  ship  about  noon  the  first  meal  was  supper  and  we 
were  introduced  to  a  new  mess  svstem.     Two  men  from  each  table  were  sent 


24  THELIAISON 

to  the  galley  with  pans  to  get  the  mess  for  their  table.  They  had  to  carry  it  from 
there,  back  to  the  tables  and  serve  the  rest  of  the  men.  This  worked  pretty  well 
while  the  ship  was  standing  at  the  dock,  but,  well,  what  happened  is  told  else- 
where in  this  book.  The  food  would  have  been  good  had  it  been  thoroughly 
cooked  and  seasoned  a  little,  but  as  it  was  it  was  scarcely  fit  to  eat. 

No  smoking  was  allowed  between  or  below  decks  and  no  lights  were  to  be 
shown  after  sundown,  and  to  cap  it  all  we  had  to  go  to  bed  at  7  :30  each  night,  for 
tliey  put  the  lights  out  at  that  time  and  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  get  into  one  of 
those  hammocks  in  the  dark. 

We  slept  pretty  well  that  night  considering  that  it  was  our  first  atteuipt  at  it 
in  hammocks,  (jetting  out  early  the  next  morning  we  went  up  to  the  main  deck 
and  stood  in  line  for  about  half  an  hour  waiting  for  a  chance  to  wash  up  a  litttle. 
After  breakfast  we  were  given  a  life  preserver  and  told  to  put  it  on  and  keep  it 
on  all  the  time  that  we  were  on  deck.  It  developed  later  that  we  were  not  allowed 
to  go  below  decks  during  the  day  except  for  our  meals,  so  we  had  those  pre- 
servers on  about  fourteen  hours  a  day  for  twelve  days.  And  we  slept  on  them 
at  night.  In  fact  they  were  our  best  friends  on  the  trip  over  for  some  of  our 
human  friends  were  too  sick  to  be  friendly  towards  anything. 

Well,  about  10:00  o'clock  that  morning  every  one  started  to  yelling,  "She's 
movin,"  and  she  sure  was.  A  couple  of  tugs  pulled  us  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
river  and  then,  with  all  hands  on  deck,  we  started  on  our  way  across.  In  about 
half  an  hour  several  of  the  fellows  began  to  get  seasick  and  from  that  time  on 
every  hour  saw  a  few  more  in  the  same  fix,  most  all  of  us  had  a  queer  feeling  in 
our  sawdust  and  knew  that  we  would  get  it  in  a  few  days. 

During  the  early  morning  of  the  third  day  we  were  joined  by  seven  more 
transports  and  the  U.  S.  Cruiser  Huntington.  That  made  a  total  of  thirteen 
shi])s  in  our  convoy,  five  others  having  left  New  York  with  u.^.  The  ships  were 
lined  up  in  columns  of  three  and  kept  this  formation  nearly  all  the  way  across, 
the  only  changes  made  were  when  they  did  a  left  or  right  dank  movement.  They 
signalled  to  each  other  by  semaphore  and  projectors,  and  the  sailors  on  those 
ships  could  send  and  receive  that  stuff  faster  than  any  one  we  had  ever  seen,  and 
we  had  seen  some  very  fast  ones,  too.  Their  arms  just  seemed  to  fiy  through 
the  air. 

The  Ship's  Doctor  told  us  something  of  the  construction  and  history  of  the 
Nestor,  and  added  that  we  need  not  fear  the  subs.  It  was  built  in  five  large  air- 
tight compartments,  separated  by  steel  bulkhead^ ;  more  than  one  of  these  com- 
partments had  to  be  pierced  before  the  ship  woidd  sink,  he  said.  On  nearly  every 
trip  that  had  been  made  by  the  Nestor  subs  had  been  sighted  and  in  all  instances 
they  had  either  been  sunk  or  driven  away  by  the  ship's  gunners.  About  the  only 
way  for  us  to  be  sunk  was  to  get  a  torpedo  directly  on  the  engine  room.  Hear- 
ing this  we  felt  pretty  safe. 

In  spite  of  all  of  this  safety  we  had  boat  drill  at  least  two  times  a  day.  All 
of  the  men  were  assigned  to  certain  places  by  the  life  boats  and  rafts.  These 
were  their  places  in  case  of  emergency  and  we  had  to  drill  on  getting  there  in  a 
hurry.     After  we  had  drilled   for  several  days  we  got  so  we  could  be  in  our 


THELIAISON  25 

places  five  minutes  after  the  signal  was  given.  That  was  good  considering  that 
we  were  scattered  all  over  the  ship  and  did  not  know  just  when  we  would  be 
called  upon.     A  roll  call  was  made  each  time  to  be  sure  that  all  men  were  present. 

The  two  Y.  M.  C.  A.  men  on  board  took  care  of  us  in  the  usual  manner  with 
reading  and  writing  material  and  such  games  as  could  be  carried  on  board.  A 
canteen  was  opened  but  the  demands  on  it  were  so  great  that  it  had  to  close  uj) 
in  a  few  days — sold  out.  The  ship's  wireless  station  took  all  the  war  news  that 
was  sent  across  and  put  out  a  bulletin  each  day.  Xews  from  home,  including 
baseball  scores,  was  also  published. 

In  mid-ocean  our  course  was  changed  from  a  straight  line  to  a  zig-zag  course 
to  give  the  subs  less  chance  at  us.  We  would  go  along  in  one  course  for  a  while 
and  then  suddenly  change  the  course  by  about  twenty  or  thirty  degrees.  This 
was  kept  up  continually  and  we  must  have  travelled  some  hundreds  of  miles  out 
of  our  way.  We  grew  very  impatient  at  having  to  stay  on  the  ship  so  long,  hav- 
ing expected  to  make  the  trip  in  about  seven  days,  at  most,  but  perhaps  those  in 
charge  knew  best  how  to  run  things. 

The  Regimental  Band  played  a  concert  every  afternoon  and  that  was  fol- 
lowed by  boxing  contests  between  men  from  the  different  organizations  on  board. 
Calisthenics  were  in  order  for  about  an  hour  every  morning.  They  were  held 
on  the  hurricane  deck.  It  was  amusing  to  see  some  of  the  fellows  going  through 
some  stunt  wdien  the  ship  would  make  a  dive.     Balancing  Vv^as  difficult. 

Along  about  noon  of  the  tenth  day  several  black  objects  were  seen  on  the 
horizon  ahead  of  us.  The  Ship's  officers  had  been  watching  them  for  about  an 
hour,  but  we  had  been  unable  to  see  them.  An  hour  later  they  had  come  close 
enough  for  us  to  make  them  out,  and  we  discovered  that  they  were  the  British 
destroyers  sent  out  to  meet  us  and  act  as  our  convoy  into  port.  Shortly  after 
they  came  up,  the  Huntington,  our  cruiser,  turned  around  and  went  back  to  the 
States.  With  about  ten  destroyers  steaming  around  us  continually  we  decided 
that  we  had  arrived  in  the  danger  zone. 

As  we  were  going  through  the  Xorth  Channel  three  of  the  destroyers  turned 
to  the  right  and  sped  away  as  fast  as  they  could  travel.  A  mile  and  a  half  away 
they  stopped  and  started  firing  on  something  that  we  could  not  see.  They  must 
have  fired  about  fifty  shots  before  they  came  back.  At  the  time  we  did  not  know 
whether  they  were  firing  on  a  submarine  or  a  mine.  Later  it  was  said  that  they 
had  sunk  a  sub. 

When  we  had  passed  the  Isle  of  Man  and  entered  the  Irish  Sea,  three  of  our 
transports  left  us  and  put  in  at  a  Scotch  port.  The  men  on  them  traveled  down 
through  England  and  joined  us  later.  We  kept  on  straight  ahead  and  about  3  :00 
o'clock  the  next  morning  we  arrived  in  Liverpool,  England.  When  the  tide 
came  in  we  were  pulled  into  a  large  dock  and  unloaded. 


26  THELIAISON 


Censorship. 


We're  sailing  away  to  God  knows  where, 
To  a  promised  land  that's  "over  there" ; 
The  plains  of  France  or  Italy's  Alps 
May  furnish  our  quota  of  German  scalps. 
Unknown  to  us  is  the  end  of  our  trip, 
We  sail  on  the  good  bark  "Censorship." 

How  do  we  bunk,  and  what  of  our  chow? 

And  how  is  the  army  anyhow? 

Any  low  spirits  among  the  bunch? 

Say,  how  many  fellows  have  "lost  their  lunch"? 

Ask  not ;  some  spy  might  get  a  tip — 

It's  all  deleted  by  censorship. 

Perchance  we've  sighted  a  submarine. 
Perchance  again  none  has  been  seen, 
A  hydroplane  or  German  barks, 
Or  maybe  only  a  school  of  sharks. 
The  shears  of  the  censor  merrily  clip ; 
You  don't  get  much  through  the  censorship. 

Do  we  have  "In  cadence,  exercise"  ? 

Do  rumors,  as  usual,  prove  to  be  lies? 

Drills  and  inspections  from  morn  till  "taps"? 

Any  one  caught  in  a  game  of  craps? 

To  you  the  answer  I'd  gladly  slip 

P>ut  we  sail  on  the  tight  boat  "Censorship." 

You  ask,  have  we  Red  Cross  nurses  or  no? 
Do  "Tea  hounds"  flirt  with  mermaids  also? 
And  to  quicken  our  spirits  in  case  they  lag, 
"Say,  Pard,  what're  chances  to  borrow  a  fag?" 
All  of  this  dope  I  have  on  my  lip. 
And  it's  stopped  right  there  by  censorship. 

But  we'll  see  the  end  of  this  war,  we  hope, 

With  its  fear  of  the  treacherous  periscope, 

When  safe  will  be  the  bounding  main. 

As  we  come  sailing  home  again. 

With  wonderful  tales  crammed  in  our  grip, — 

And  we  won't  sail  back  on  the  "Censorship." 

— D.  V. 


THELIAISON  27 


OVERSEAS-LIVERPOOL  AND  FOREIGN  SOIL 

At  last  our  hopes  were  beginning  to  come  true ;  we  were  "Over  There."  It 
was  during  the  night  of  the  ninth  of  July,  that  the  good  ship  Xestor,  with  the  rest 
of  the  convoy,  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Liverpool  to  wait  for  the  tide. 
As  early  as  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  tenth,  we  were  awakened  by  some 
of  the  boys  running  up  stairs  to  see  the  harbor.  Breakfast  was  over  at  seven 
and  then  we  cleaned  up  the  sleeping  decks,  made  our  packs  and  put  away  the 
hammocks. 

At  noon  (12:30  p.  m.)  a  tug  pulled  our  ship  into  one  of  the  locks  and  along 
side  a  pier  where  we  unloaded.  We  got  out  through  an  enclosed  dock  onto  a 
street  between  the  warehouses,  and  at  3  :LS  p.  m.  started  a  march  through  the  city. 
Up  Parliament  Street,  with  its  hospitals,  we  marched,  on  through  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  and  out  beyond  the  city  to  a  tented  camp  by  a  small  railway  station. 
Some  new  sights  struck  us  on  this  hike — the  little  ventilators  on  the  houses,  the 
number  of  children  (all  the  kids  wanted  hard  tack  and  devoured  it  like  wolves), 
with  their  queer  little  wooden-soled  shoes,  the  crippled  soldiers  on  the  streets,  the 
girl  street  car  conductors,  tending  the  double-decked  cars,  Scotch  soldiers  in  kil- 
ties, work  horses  hitched  tandem,  the  fancy  police  uniforms,  the  little  two-wheeled 
carts  and  big  horses,  two-story  jitney  busses,  the  six-ton  steam  auto  trucks  and 
traffic  keeping  to  the  left  instead  of  the  right — first  impressions  of  England. 

We  were  very  glad  to  reach  camp.  The  place  we  stopped  was  the  American 
Rest  Camp  Knotty  Ash,  Liverpool,  England,  a  camp  established  for  the  handling 
of  United  States  troops  en  route.  Xo  outfit  stayed  there  for  more  than  twenty- 
four  or  forty-eight  hours.  They  gave  us  a  cup  of  hot  coffee,  real  stuff,  and  it  did 
taste  good.  W^e  gathered  in  groups  on  the  grass  and  ate  part  of  the  rations 
that  had  been  issued  on  the  ship — canned  beef,  sardines,  hard  tack  and  coffee, 
wath  some  cakes  and  candy  bought  at  the  American  Y.  ^L  C.  A.  tent  in  camp. 
Some  of  the  fellows  got  outside  of  the  guards  and  spent  the  evening  seeing  the 
town,  but  the  majority  turned  in  early.  We  slept  on  little  straw  pallets  that  at 
first  we  hesitated  to  use,  eighteen  to  a  tent,  and  slept  well. 

We  rose  about  6:  00  a.m.,  had  breakfast  of  bacon,  rice,  bread  and  butter  and 
coffee.  Some  got  sandwiches  for  a  lunch.  At  7:15  we  marched  to  the  station 
a  few  doors  from  the  edge  of  camp  and  started  at  7  :40  a.  m.  Eight  men  were  in 
each  compartment  of  the  English  passenger  coaches.  An  English  soldier  gave 
us  letters — "A  Message  to  the  U.  S.  Soldiers  from  King  George" — which  we 
were  allowed  to  mail  home. 

One  thing  had  a  very  sobering  effect  on  us  at  this  first  camp,  the  Hichfield 
Military  Hospital,  just  across  the  road  beyond  the  station,  a  beautiful  place,  and 
any  number  of  the  most  pitiful  sights,  convalescent  English  soldiers. 

Merrv  England  and  the  Sorrowful  Channel. 

Through  the  heart  of  England  was  a  splendid  trip — beautiful  country  scen- 
ery, a  continual  panorama  of  hedge  rows,  gardens,  flowers,  pretty  red  tiled  houses 
and  clean  cities.     We  passed  through  Sheffield,  Nottingham,  Leicester where 


28  THELIAISON 

we  had  hot  coffee  served  by  English  ladies^  and  stretched  our  legs  by  walking 
the  station  platform — Banbury,  Pangbourne,  Basingstoke,  and  reached  Winchester 
at  4 :00  p.  m. 

We  detrained  at  once  and  marched  behind  the  band  through  the  hilly,  narrow 
streets  of  the  quaint  little  town,  up  an  immense  hill  to  a  tin  city,  another  American 
Rest  Camp,  with  barracks  made  of  sheet  tin.  Here  we  had  supper  of  coffee,  war 
bread,  and  jam.  After  eating  we  washed,  shaved,  and  walked  about  a  little  to 
view  the  country  and  then  turned  in,  on  funny  little  wooden  beds,  that  you  put 
together  yourself,  and  straw  ticks.  This  camp  was  named  Morn  Hill  Camp, 
Winchester,  England. 

It  was  after  11  :00  p.  m.,  before  we  got  to  sleep.  At  7:00  a.  m.,  we  were 
up,  and  soon  had  a  good  breakfast  of  coffee,  bread  and  bacon.  W^e  stood  around, 
after  making  our  packs  until  11:00  a.  m.,  when  we  fell  in.  At  11:45  we  re- 
traced our  march  of  the  night  before,  to  the  depot.  At  12:45  we  pulled  out  of 
Winchester  in  the  same  kind  of  third  class  cars,  ate  a  lunch  right  away,  of 
sandwiches,  jam  and  water,  which  we  just  finished  in  time  to  get  oft'  at 
.Southampton  docks.  We  marched  onto  a  dock  and  were  set  at  liberty  to  walk 
about  the  dock  and  water  line. 

At  5  :C0  p.m.,  we  fell  in,  marched  around  to  another  dock,  and  loaded  onto  a 
small  ship  with  side  wheels.  We  were  herded  in  like  cattle,  put  on  life  preservers, 
and  spent  the  night  as  best  we  could,  which  best  could  not  be  bragged  abouL. 

France. 

After  a  night  of  it  we  unloaded  at  the  docks  of  Le  Havre,  France — 7:00  a. 
m.  Saturday,  July  13,  1918.  We  marched  through  this  fine  old  city  and  tried  to 
take  in  all  of  France  at  one  glance.  It  was  a  two-and-a-half-hour  hike  through 
the  city,  and  up  the  hill  back  of  the  city,  to  our  camp,  the  poorest  we  had  struck 
yet.  On  one  of  the  halts  we  saw  a  bit  of  native  France,  \yhen  Colonel  Bush 
'parley-voued'  with  a  very  polite  French  gentleman  and  accepted  a  bouquet  of 
flowers,  after  which  the  band  played  the  Marseillaise  and  the  Star  S])angled  Ban- 
ner. On  the  first  French  hike  we  were  introduced  to  the  sight  of  the  energetic 
and  thrifty  women  venders,  saw  the  men  all  wearing  canes  and  shaking  hands 
with  the  left  hand. 

At  camp  we  were  assigned  twelve  and  thirteen  men  to  a  little  round  tent. 
The  weather  was  warm.  At  2:00  p.  m.,  we  had  a  hot  lunch,  followed  at  5:00 
p.  m.  by  supper.  We  took  a  funny  steam  bath,  shaved,  washed  clothes,  aired 
blankets — cleaned  up  in  general,  and  after  supper  wrote  a  letter  home.  Here  at 
the  English  Y.  M.  C.  A.  we  got  our  American  money  changed  to  French,  which 
we  found  was  not  hard  to  get  on  to  and  which  we  found  always  easy  to  spend. 
During  the  night  it  rained  and  kept  it  up  till  9  :00  a.  m.  The  day  was  Sunday 
and  we  rested.     Part  of  the  day  was  rainy,  also  Sunday  night. 

Monday  afternoon  at  3:30  we  left  this  camp,  which  was  called  Camp  Xo.  1. 
Section  B,  and  marched  for  one  hour  and  forty-five  ininutes  to  the  railroad 
station.  Here  we  loaded  onto  a  train.  And  it  was  some  train.  We  had  heard 
much  of  the  "40  men — 8  horses"'  cars  and  now  we  were  to  experience  them. 
Forty  men  in  each  of  the  tiny  box  cars  it  was,  and  we  were  off  for  a  trip  across 
France. 


THELIAISON  29 

Le  Havki-:  to  Bordeaux  via  40  Hommes — 8  Ciievaux  liox  Cars. 

In  a  world  history,  where  even  great  events  receive  scant  attention,  the 
French  box  car  may  not  be  mentioned.  But  in  any  soldier  record  of  the  great 
war  for  liberty  "40  Hommes — 8  Chevaux"  will  be  painted  all  over  the  scenery 
— and  it  takes  no  great  strength  of  imagination  to  see  a  can  of  corned-willie 
covering  the  rest  of  the  picture. 

It  was  dark  when  we  pulled  out  of  the  station  at  Le  Havre.  We  crossed  the 
Seine  river  several  times,  went  through  Ivouen  and  headed  south.  In  the  morn- 
ing a  stop  was  made  at  6 :30  at  L'Aiglon  for  coffee  and  an  hour's  rest.  At  noon 
we  stopped  at  Le  Alans  for  coft'ee.  The  coffee  was  very  poor  stuff,  made  of 
chicory.  The  country  of  France  was  a  great  disappointment  after  seeing 
Fngland,  but  the  neglected  fields  and  towns  we  knew  were  due  to  the  four  years 
that  the  men  had  been  in  the  war.  In  southern  France,  however,  along  toward 
P>ordeaux,  we  saw  miles  and  miles  of  well  kept  vineyards.  Another  night  and 
morning,  and  then  Bordeaux.  At  noon  we  rode  through  the  city  and  at  1:15 
p.  m.,  landed  at  the  big  covered  station.  Coffee  and  a  little  rest,  and  then  on 
through  the  city  our  train  went,  across  the  Garonne  river  to  the  little  town  of 
Pessac  about  half  an  hour's  ride. 

Here  we  detrained  and  walked  seven  miles,  full  pack,  to  our  places  of  billet. 
The  regiment  was  scattered  through  the  countryside,  in  the  little  villages  and 
chateaux.  The  regimental  officers  and  part  of  the  headquarters  detail  were 
quartered  in  the  Chateau  Choisy  la  Tour.  The  rest  of  the  detail  was  billeted  in 
houses  and  barns  at  Rejouit,  a  little  cross-road  hamlet  close  by  the  chateau.  The 
First  Battalion  detachment  was  billeted  in  the  village  of  Cestas ;  the  Second 
Battalion  detachment  at  Canajan.  The  company  kitchen  was  with  the  Regimental 
detachment  at  Headquarters,  while  the  Battalion  detachments  ate  with  the  bat- 
teries. The  night  of  their  arrival  at  Canejan.  the  Second  Battalion  detachment, 
fell  into  a  special  feed  on  Captain  Hedges. 

The  weeks  spent  in  the  country  was  a  period  of  waiting,  compared  to  the  so- 
called  Rest  Camps  we  had  been  in  on  the  way  from  Liverpool,  this  camp  was  a 
real  rest.  For  a  few  days  we  rested  and  cleaned  up.  The  company  was  soon 
initiated  into  French  country  life  and  to  the  *'Vin  Sisters."  Bordeaux  was  the 
great  attraction  and  passes  were  readily  issued  for  a  day  in  town. 

Bordeaux  is  an  ancient  city  and  seaport.  The  Cathedral,  Theater,  Market 
Place,  and  the  open  park  in  the  center  of  the  business  district,  together  with  the 
Cafes  with  their  sidewalk  tables  and  big  awnings,  and  beaucoup  women  of  the 
underworld  gave  the  town  its  individuality.  The  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with  its 
restaurant,  canteen,  rest  room,  hot  baths,  and  real  American  speaking  women 
was  a  rest  spot  and  rendevous  for  all  Americans,  strangers  in  a  strange  land. 
Here,  before  finally  jumping  into  the  bare  existence  of  war,  we  enjoyed  the 
American  privileges  of  ice  cream  and  orangeade.  The  cit}^  was  crowded  with 
American  and  French  soldiers  and  sailors  on  leave. 

While  in  the  country  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  New  York  Herald  and 
the  London  Daily  Mail,  edited  in  Paris  for  the  American  soldiers  in  France,  each 
a  four  page  paper,  and  our  only  source  of  information  at  the  time. 


30  THELIAISON 

We  spent  the  days  in  hiking  about  the  country  for  exercise,  doing  work  on 
the  side  for  Calesthenic  Points,  and  keeping  company  with  the  French  sisters 
Blanc  and  Rouge.  The  rest  period  was  all  too  short.  Other  outfits  finished 
their  training  at  Camp  de  Souge  and  were  moved  out.  We  were  being  held  in 
readiness  to  begin  our  course  of  training.  So  after  eleven  days  at  Rejouit,  Cestas 
and  Canejan  orders  came,  on  a  Sunday  evening,  to  hike  it  full  pack.  Monday. 
July  29th,  we  turned  out  at  4:30  a.  m.,  made  our  rolls,  breakfasted,  cleaned  up 
the  billets  and  grounds,  and  started  the  march  at  7 :30  a.  m.  The  regimental  de- 
tachment marched  from  Eejouit  to  Cestas  where  the  Regiment  was  formed  on 
the  road  leading  toward  Souge.  The  march  lasted  all  day.  Captain  Hedges 
led  the  column,  and  by  easy  hitches  we  covered  the  twentv  miles  to  Camp  de 
Souge,  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  Souge. 

After  living  for  the  greater  part  of  a  year  in  the  splendid  American  Camp 
Sheridan,  at  Montgomery,  this  Camp  de  Souge  looked  rather  bare.  Situated  on 
a  broad,  level  stretch  of  deep,  loose  sand  mixed  with  black  earth,  like  soot,  the 
long  narrow  barracks  looked  small.  But  inside  they  proved  very  comfortable 
v.'ith  two-story  bunks,  electric  lights,  French  war  windows  of  opaque  paper,  and 
water  on  the  front  porch — sometimes.  The  scant  daily  suppK^  of  water  was 
something  new  to  get  accustomed  to,  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  real  war  con- 
ditions began  to  filter  into  our  experience.  But  the  American  is  quick  to  adapt 
himself  to  new  circumstances,  and  we  soon  learned  to  take  a  bath  in  a  tincup 
or  hike  a  mile  to  a  little  creek,  and  to  keep  the  old  canteen  full  at  all  times. 

It  was  Monday  evening  when  we  arrived  at  the  camp.  The  rest  of  the  week 
was  spent  in  getting  set  for  the  work  to  come.  A  couple  of  days  were  spent 
burning  the  brush  from  the  fields  about  camp  in  an  effort  to  keep  down  the  flies. 
Good  conduct  passes  of  white  cardboard  for  the  nearby  towns  of  Bonneau, 
Issaac,  Saint-Medard,  Martignas  and  St.  Jean  dTllac  were  issued.  These  towns 
were  full  of  huckster  wagons  and  stands  run  by  the  natives  who  were  very 
friendly,  chiefly  because  the  Americans  spent  their  paper  francs  freely.  Prices 
were  fairly  reasonable,  considering  what  we  met  with  later.  Four  oranges  or 
five  lemons  sold  for  a  franc,  and  two  small  tumblers  of  hazel  nuts  for  the  same 
amount.  The  walking  peddlers  with  cheap  field  glasses  did  a  land-office  business 
for  a  while  but  caught  very  few  "fish"  in  our  company,  because  we  were  more  or 
less  familiar  with  glasses. 

The  day's  drill  included  calisthenics,  gas  drill,  hikes,  and  detail  work — sig- 
nalling, the  figuring  of  firing  data,  and  so  forth.  This  was  the  first  week.  The 
regular  course  of  training  began  August  5th.  The  officers  went  to  their  schools, 
ths  telephone  and  radio  men  to  theirs.  The  rest  of  the  company  continued  the 
program  of  the  first  week.  Some  new  equipment  was  issued — afield  glasses,  signal 
flags,  phones,  projectors  and  radio  outfits. 

During  this  training  period  Color-sergeant  ]\IcQuaid  and  Corporal  Flaharty 
were  sent  off  to  Paris  to  gas  school.  A  number  of  changes  took  place  among  the 
officers  of  the  regiment.  Some  readjustments  were  also  made  in  the  ranks  of  the 
company.  One  of  the  recruits,  Xelson,  who  came  to  the  company  just  before 
leaving  Camp  Sheridan,  died  in  the  camp  hospital  August  6th.  Captain  Hedges 
was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Headquarters  Company  to  take  up  Captain 


•THE     LIAISON  31 

Babbit's  work  as  Eegimental  Adjutant,  leaving  Lieutenant  Bauer  in  charge  of 
the  company. 

The  radio  detachment  took  the  daily  communiques  regarding  conditions  at  the 
front.  These  communiques,  together  with  the  correct  time,  were  transmitted 
daily  from  Eiffel  Tower,  the  official  French  station.  From  this  time  on,  at 
every  place  where  the  company  stayed  for  any  length  of  time.  Lieutenant  Hos- 
back  and  his  detachment  "set  up"  and  kept  the  Regiment  informed  "up  to  the 
second." 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  our  part  of  camp  was  a  fizzle  for  a  while  until  Doctor 
McGaffen  of  Cleveland  came.  Then  we  had  a  regular  Y  and  enjoyed  many  good 
times  together  in  old-time  Sheridan  style.  Here  we  read  the  weekly  paper  of  the 
American  Overseas  Armies,  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  an  eight-page  newspaper 
which  was  the  "official  publication  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces,"  au- 
thorized by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  A.  E.  F.,  written,  edited,  and  published 
every  week  by  and  for  the  soldiers  of  the  A.  E.  F.  Many  subscribed  for  it  to 
follow  them  through  the  mail  or  to  be  sent  home. 

During  the  weeks  of  training  which  passed  quickly,  one  bad  accident  hap- 
pened in  the  Regiment.  During  the  firing  of  a  problem  at  the  range  on  the 
morning  of  August  27th,  No.  2  gun  of  Battery  "D"  exploded,  killing  the  gunner 
and  No.  1  man,  and  injuring  several  others.  Following  is  the  Colonel's  memo- 
randum on  that  occasion : 

HEADQUARTERS 
134TH  FIELD  ARTILLERY, 
AMERICAN  EXPEDITIONARY  FORCES, 
FRANCE. 
Memorandum :  To  all  organizations, 

1.  The  Regimental  Commander  announces  with  regret  and  sorrow  the 
deaths  of  Corporal  John  D.  Pucket  and  Private  Clarence  B.  Click,  Battery  "D." 

2.  These  men  met  their  death  in  the  line  of  duty  and  through  no  fault  or 
neglect  on  the  part  of  any  one. 

3.  The  Regimental  Commander  is  pleased  to  be  able  to  commend  in  the 
highest  terms  the  excellent  discipline  of  Battery  "D"  at  the  time,  and  after  the 
accident.  He  particularly  wishes  to  commend  First-class  Private  Bumpus  and 
Private  Reed  for  their  coolness  in  promptly  removing  the  fuses  from  the  shells 
already  prepared  for  firing. 

By  order  of  Colonel  Bush : 

J.  F.  Babbit, 
Captain,  134th  Field  Artillery, 

Adjutant. 

Friday  night,  September  13th,  the  training  of  the  Regiment  ended  with  a 
Brigade  liaison  problem,  followed  on  Saturday  morning  by  a  Brigade  barrage. 
The  following  week  was  spent  in  getting  ready  to  move  to  the  front.  Equip- 
ment was  issued  in  the  way  of  wagons,  reel  carts,  harness  and  instruments,  but 
only  enough  horses  were  available  for  the  wheeled  material.  Each  man  had 
been  equipped  with  a  good  gas  mask  and  a  .45  calibre  Colt  Automatic,  Bar- 
racks bags  had  to  be  turned  in  and  manv  of  the  "necessities"  of  life  had  to  be 


?>2  THELIAISON 

discarded.  \Miat  we  were  to  have  from  then  on  wfe  carried  on  our  backs,  and 
it  would  take  some  man  to  cart  along  six  towels,  five  suits  of  underclothes,  four 
shirts,  and  three  pair  of  breeches  under  those  conditions.  So  with  many  bonfires 
and  useless  regrets  the  blue  bags  were  finally  turned  in. 

Moving  day  it  rained.  That  was  our  Jinx.  Hereafter,  in  this  record,  it  will 
be  understood  that  all  moves  made  by  the  outfit  took  place  in  the  rain.  Monday, 
September  23rd  was  a  busy  day.  Reel  carts  and  f ourgons  were  loaded  and  pulled 
from  the  stables  to  the  road,  packs  were  made^ — and  big  ones  they  were — the 
barracks  were  cleaned  up  and  left  in  charge  of  Color-sergeant  Friel  for  final  O.  K. 
It  was  after  the  noon  meal  when  the  auto  trucks  from  the  112th  Ammunition 
Train  began  to  pull  our  wagons  and  luggage  out.  \\'e  went  out  of  Camp  de 
Souge  to  the  town  of  Bonnau  to  load.  This  w-as  our  first  experience  in  loading 
lieavy  wagons  onto  the  small  French  box  cars — some  job- — but  a  little  figuring 
and  plenty  of  steam  got  them  aboard.  It  was  a  job  getting  the  horses  into  their 
cars.  They  must  have  thought  they  were  going  into  a  dugout.  Some  of  them 
had  to  be  backed  up  the  ramps. 

With  the  loading  done,  "boo-koo"  hay  in  the  cars,  men  assigned — everything 
set,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  go.  But  it  was  11:30  p.  m.  before  the  train 
pulled  out.  Headquarters  and  Supply  Company  of  our  Eegiment  and  the  62nd 
Brigade  Headquarters  were  aboard. 

De  Souge  to  Revigny. 

We  were  much  more  comfortable  on  this  trip,  fifteen  men  to  a  car,  plenty  of 
bread  and  corned-willie,  a  hay  mattress  and  nothing  to  do. 

We  traveled  the  rest  of  the  night  and  the  morning  of  the  24th  without  know- 
ing w'here  we  were.  At  2:15  p.  m.  we  passed  through  La  Coquille,  north  of 
Perigneux.  At  6:00  p.  m.  we  stopped  at  Limoges,  stretched  and  ate  supper. 
Xext  day  at  9  :(X)  a.  m.  we  were  at  Cosne.  Here  the  train  stopped  long  enough 
for  us  to  wash  and  get  some  coflfee  from  the  kitchen  car.  From  Cosne  we  went 
on.  Reaching  Clamecy  just  at  noon,  wdiere  another  stop  was  made.  We  passed 
through  Auxerre  at  2  :-K)  p.  m.  The  next  morning  we  woke  up  to  find  ourselves 
side-tracked  alongside  an  unloading  platform  at  Revigny. 

Lai  MO  XT. 

W'e  knew  that  we  were  somewhere  near  the  fighting  zone  from  the  signs 
all  around.  Trains  passed  loaded  with  salvage,  broken  aeroplanes,  disabled 
motor  lorries,  etc.  Car  loads  of  salvaged  iron  were  on  the  tracks  near  us. 
Here  we  saw  our  first  German  "77's".  French  soldiers  were  there,  looking  dif- 
ferent from  the  ones  further  back.  These  men  had  been  under  conditions  where 
a  shave  and  a  haircut,  a  bath  and  clean  clothes  were  not  to  be  had.  Also  they 
were  silent  men  and  moved  as  if  nothing  mattered,  as  if  everything  to  them 
w'as  a  matter  of  course. 

Evidently  something  had  to  be  found  out  for  \\t  waited  quite  a  while  before 
orders  came  to  detrain  and  unload.  The  wagons  were  pulled  oflf  the  cars,  hitched 
up.  and  moved  out  of  the  yards  on  to  a  road.  The  weather  was  good.  After 
unloading,  guards  were  left  with  the  material,  and  the  company  marched  full 
pack  up  the  road  to  the  railroad  tracks  where  two  roads  led  off.  Not  knowing 
which  direction  to  take  we  waited  until  one  of  the  officers  came.     We  had  stopped 


THE     LIAISON  33 

by  a  house  that  had  been  shelled  a  little  and  the  few  scars  on  it's  stone  walls 
seemed  very  noticable  to  us  then,  but  only  for  a  very  short  time. 

We  marched  through  the  gateways  onto  the  tracks,  through  the  opposite 
gates  and  on  through  Revigny.  First  there  were  a  street  or  two  of  houses  still 
standing  complete,  an  open  street,  a  bridge  across  a  little  river,  a  Franco-Ameri- 
can Co-operative  restaurant  in  a  grove  of  trees,  a  bend  in  the  road ;  and  then  we 
saw  the  center  of  town  in  ruins,  destroyed  by  shell  fire — the  village  square,  the 
"Mairie"  or  town  hall,  all  the  center  of  the  town  razed.  Here  and  there  parts 
of  the  walls  were  standing.  At  Liverpool,  whether  we  realized  it  or  not,  our 
minds  had  been  awakened  to  the  realness  of  war  when  we  saw  the  human 
wreckage  at  the  hospital.  Here  in  Revigny  another  phase  of  war's  realism 
changed  still  more  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  lived,  and  thought ;  a  certain 
tenseness,  an  expectancy,  an  acceptance  of  whatever  should  come  took  pos- 
session of  us.  No  doubt  such  an  experience  came  to  every  American  soldier. 
Our  business  in  France  was  rapidly  taking  on  tangible  form. 

We  passed  through  the  ruins,  around  a  corner  where,  in  a  building  with  an 
enclosed  courtyard,  the  French  troops  had  their  headquarters,  across  another 
railroad  and  into  the  open  country. 

We  marched  along  one  of  the  white  highways  that  wind  around  all  the 
hills  of  France,  toward  a  distant  hill.  Half  way  to  the  hill  we  saw  an  immense 
searchlight,  placed  off  the  road  and  camouilaged.  And  then  a  whirr  in  the  air 
and  Bang!  Bang! — white  puffs  breaking  in  the  air  near  a  plane.  The  anti-air- 
craft guns  were  trying  to  down  a  Bosche  observer.  Our  experience  was  rapidly 
broadening.  The  FTun  flyer  got  away,  however,  and  we  continued  our  march, 
on  up  the  hill,  and  to  the  village  of  Liamont.  This  place,  or  rather  the  end  of  it 
that  we  saw,  was  in  ruins.  We  turned  off  onto  a  side  road  and  pitched  shelter 
tents  in  an  open  culti\ated  field  in  the  usual  straight  lines  facing  the  "Company 
Street." 

Something  hot  to  eat  was  the  next  thing.  The  old  rolling  kitchen  was  bigger 
than  Bosche  planes  or  ruins  for  a  while.  But  before  we  could  eat  we  had  to 
move.  Down  came  the  tents  and  over  the  hill  we  went,  where  we  pitched  again 
on  a  slope  another  main  road  and  a  creek,  but  this  time  no  two  tents  were  allowed 
together  in  any  alignment  on  account  of  enemy  air  observation. 

After  a  hot  meal  we  explored  the  Adllage,  the  main  part  of  which  was  not 
badly  damaged.  The  two  streets  were  soon  explored,  the  wine  shops  located, 
and,  being  tired  from  a  long  journey  and  hike  we  were  soon  back  in  camp  and 
asleep  on  the  ground. 

More  than  a  week  we  stayed  at  Laimont.  After  a  couple  of  days  in  tents 
we  moved  into  the  houses  and  barns  of  the  village  people  on  account  of  wet 
weather.  Headquarters  Company  was  billeted  together  in  a  big  barn  that  was  a 
part  of  a  French  house.  The  barn  was  all  open  inside  with  a  big  skylight  in  the 
roof,  the  floors  were  up  here  and  down  there :  up  a  ladder  to  a  cubby-hole  fitted 
with  bunks,  down  a  few  steps  to  another  cubby-hole  and  more  bunks,  downstairs, 
through  a  low  door,  up  a  step  and  then  more  cubby-holes  and  bunks.  A  central 
passage  sloped  down  to  a  back  door  opening  into  a  garden.  The  company 
kitchen  had  been  established  by  the  road  in  the  ruins  at  the  end  of  the  village. 


34  THE     LIAISON 

Additional  equipment  was  issued  here.  Horses  came  in,  but  one  evening 
as  the  company  sat  at  ease  about  the  Httle  store  in  our  billet,  eating  grapes  and 
nuts,  a  sergeant  came  through  and  picked  out  a  detail  "to  take  the  horses  up 
front."  By  six  o'clock  the  details  from  the  Batteries  were  ready  and  after  con- 
siderable trouble  getting  the  horses  into  the  column  the  start  was  made  towanl 
X^erdun.  Everything  went  fine  until  a  halt  was  made.  Then  it  was  impossible 
for  every  man  to  keep  his  string  of  four  or  five  horses  from  eating  grass,  and 
confusion  resulted.  Good  English  availed  nothing  for  the  jar-headed  beasts 
were  French.  Finally  after  getting  straightened  away  again  the  column  advanced 
steadily.  The  boom  of  the  guns  became  more  and  more  distinct.  The  Argonne 
drive  was  just  then  in  its  first  stages  and  the  great  preparatory  barrage  was  being 
put  over.  The  column  rode  all  night,  passing  through  Vaubecourt  and  Triau- 
court.  In  the  morning  a  short  halt  was  made  at  Anzeville  for  a  cold  breakfast 
of  willie.  Here  the  detail  broke  into  two  parties.  One  went  to  Aubreville. 
The  other  went  through  Jubecourt,  Ville-s-C,  and  Blercourt  to  Dombasle.  Men 
and  horses  were  tired  and  the  last  part  of  the  trip  was  made  slowly.  Arrived 
at  the  destinations  the  horses  were  tied  temporarily  and  the  details  rested.  By 
six  p.  m.  the  same  day  the  horses  were  finally  turned  over  to  the  other  Artillery 
outfit.  The  men  loaded  into  trucks  and  returned  to  Laimont  to  the  enjoyment 
of  a  much  needed  rest. 

Although  this  town  of  Laimont  lay  relatively  close  to  the  front  the  natives 
were  still  living  there.  We  were  yet  to  see  the  deserted  communities.  On  Sun- 
day the  village  people,  all  in  black,  went  to  church.  Here  the  old  white-haired 
priest  talked  earnestly  and  long.  We  could  not  understand  him  but  we  knew 
what  he  was  talking  of,  from  the  frequent  use  of  'ie  guerre",  "soldat  Francais", 
"soldat  American".  The  church  had  been  shelled  but  the  holes  in  the  walls  and 
roof  had  been  bricked  in  or  otherwise  repaired.  Once  during  the  war  the  Ger- 
mans had  occupied  the  town  for  a  short  time.  The  people  told  us  that  one  of 
their  acts  was  to  enter  the  church  and  deliberately  shoot  up  the  interior.  The 
marks  of  their  vandalism  were  all  over  the  place. 

The  two  roads  through  the  town  were  main  roads  and  traveled  constantly. 
Motorcycles  whizzed  around  the  corners,  officers'  cars  came  and  went,  big  truck 
trains  rumbled  through,  and  an  ambulance  train  was  held  there  ready  to  speed 
out  at  a  call.  There  were  American,  French,  Chinese  and  women  drivers.  One 
day,  just  at  mess  time,  two  wagons  came  through,  immense  affairs  painted  up 
like  a  circus  and  drawn  by  horses  of  the  heavy  draft  type  commonly  used  in 
France.  The  outfit  was  a  travelling  store  and  quite  a  novelty  to  Americans. 
But  lace  and  petticoats  were  of  little  value  to  soldiers,  and  sales  were  light. 
Along  the  roads  were  frequent  graves,  for  "over  here"  a  soldier's  last  resting 
place  is  more  often  than  not  the  spot  on  which  he  falls. 

The  weather  at  this  time  was  generally  fair.  There  was  some  rain  and  the 
nights  were  damp.  Many  men  took  cold.  Just  before  we  moved  Captain 
Hedges  was  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Revigny  sufTering  from  a  severe  cold.  In 
the  excitement  this  caused  only  passing  attention.  We  did  not  know  that  we  had 
seen  him  for  the  last  time.  Major  Schlegel  and  Corporal  I'ull  were  also  taken 
to  a  hospital  from  here. 


SECTION  II 

At  the  Front 
and  Afterwards 


PNEUMONIA  VALLEY 

On  the  morning  of  October  7th  we  moved  back  to  IJevigny  and  took  train. 
Another  box-car  ride  starting  at  11 :30  p.  m.  At  dayhght  we  found  ourselves  side- 
tracked at  Frouard,  a  small  place  north  of  Nancy.  A  train  of  colored  troops 
of  the  92nd  Division  was  unloading.  When  they  were  out  of  the  way  our  train 
pulled  alongside  the  platform  and  we  unloaded.  The  wagons  w^ere  hitched  and 
pulled  out  to  the  camping  place,  but  the  company  remained  at  the  train  until 
everything  was  oflf.  It  began  to  rain  hard  and  we  were  hungry.  The  colored 
soldiers  gave  us  generously  of  bread  and  jam.  One  of  them  said,  "All  soldiers 
is  alike  when  they  is  hungry."  A  canal  ran  along  the  platform  on  the  opposite 
side.  These  negroes  had  been  unloading  during  the  night.  In  making  a  com- 
pany maneuver  to  leave  the  platform  several  men  fell  into  the  canal  full-pack. 
One  of  them  drowned.  His  body  was  lying  on  the  platform  in  the  morning. 
A  horse  had  been  shot  and  his  body  lay  on  the  platform  also. 

Toward  noon  our  unloading  was  finished.  The  company  fell  in  and  marched 
full-pack  through  Frouard  to  Pompey,  on  into  the  open  country,  finally  turning 
off  on  a  side  road  and  halting  between  two  steep  wooded  hills.  Here  on  the 
hillsides  we  dug  out  shelves  to  pitch  shelter  tents.  The  ground  was  wet,  the 
morning  fogs  held  on  until  near  midday  and  rain  added  its  discomfort.  It  was 
a  miserable  place  to  stay  and  was  well  named  "Pneumonia  \'alley."  Several  of 
the  men  were  taken  to  the  hospital  during  the  short  stay  here — Lieutenant 
Thomas,  Corporal  Schellin  and  Private  Hart.  P)Ut  from  the  searchlights,  anti- 
aircraft guns  and  air-battles  we  saw  and  heard,  the  woods  was  a  safer  place 
than  the  town.  This  place  was  close  to  Nancy,  and  Nancy  was  subject  to  air- 
raids at  any  time. 

We  were  in  the  valley  two  days  and  two  nights.  Broke  camp  on  the  morn- 
ing of  October  10th  and  moved  out  again  onto  the  main  road  from  Nancy  to 
Metz.  The  column  crossed  the  Moselle  River  and  turned  north.  By  this  time 
it  was  well  along  in  the  day.  The  trip  was  made  slowly,  giving  us  plenty  of 
time  to  enjoy  the  scenic  beauties  of  this  little  river  and  its  winding  valley.  We 
went  through  Millery  and  Autreville  to  Bezaumont.  Darkness  descended  quickly 
and  by  the  time  we  reached  Bezaumont  it  was  quite  dark.  We  were  to  take  our 
first  line  position  during  the  night. 


38  THELIAISON 

At  Bezaumont  the  compan}^  divided,  the  Regimental  and  1st  Battalion  De- 
tachments taking  the  road  to  St.  Genevieve,  and  the  2nd  Battalion  Detachment 
turning  off  onto  the  road  to  Landremont.  During  the  following  weeks  of  activity 
the  company  was  separated  practically  all  of  the  time.  The  stories  of  the  differ- 
ent detachments  of  the  company  follow. 

Regimental  Df.t.vchment. 

The  name,  St.  Genevieve,  will  always  bring  a  flood  of  memories  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Regimental  detachment.  The  French  peasants  live  in  the  shadows 
of  the  high  and  well  defined  hills  which  encircle  this  quiet  and  quaint  little  village 
of  France.  It  was  about  midnight  when  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  hill  below 
the  village.  The  horses  were  tired  and  our  own  spirits  were  not  of  the  best.  We 
had  taken  the  wrong  road  and  had  to  double  the  hill.  It  was  necessary  to  use  ten 
horses  on  every  carriage.  On  our  way  up  we  passed  the  ration  cart  with  the  old 
white  mule  stalled.     \\'e  went  on  up  and  pulled  the  mule  out  later. 

We  were  whooping  and  yelling  to  make  the  horses  pull  when  we  were  sud- 
denly interrupted  by  Lieutenant  Kaichen  who  appeared  on  the  scene  with  a  pro- 
longed "Sh-h-h."  In  a  very  serious  tone  he  said,  "Don't  make  any  noise.  The 
Germans  are  very  near  but  they  don't  know  that  we  are  here.  We're  slipping 
up  on  them  and  we  are  going  to  support  a  whole  Battalion  of  Infantry.  Be  very 
careful  and  don't  show  any  lights."  Well,  we  slipped  up  on  them  all  right  and 
were  asleep  on  the  floor  of  an  old  barn  by  4  :(X)  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

At  7  :00  a.  m.  we  were  awakened  for  breakfast.  Xo  mess  line  was  allowed 
on  account  of  the  danger  of  drawing  shell  fire  from  the  enemy.  Captain  Babbit 
said,  "I  don't  want  to  lose  all  of  you  at  once."  .So  we  went  up  to  the  kitchen  in 
two's  and  three's  and  got  along  without  any  trouble.  All  of  us  got  our  share  of 
corned-willie.  hard  tack  and  black  coffee. 

We  were  ready  for  our  first  work  "at  the  front."  The  telephone  detail  at 
once,  took  over  the  telephone  net  and  central,  from  the  French.  This  is  much 
easier  said  than  done.  The  central  was  located  on  top  of  a  hill  back  of  the  vil- 
lage ;  wires  were  running  every  way  and  there  was  no  interpreter  there.  But 
with  various  signs,  waving  of  the  arms  and  the  slaughter  of  French  and  English, 
we  finally  succeeded  in  getting  the  desired  information  from  the  French  operators 
in  the  little  dugout,  and  put  our  system  to  work. 

The  Liaison  party  of  scouts  was  sent  forward  to  the  Infantry  trenches  on 
the  morning  of  our  arrival.  They  remained  there  during  our  stay  in  that  sector. 
Their  chief  work  was  observation  and  the  gathering  of  all  information  possible. 
They  made  two  trips  daily  to  the  observation  stations  at  Morville,  Port  sur  Seille 
and  Bois  I'Abbe.  They  reported  many  thrilling  and  amusing  experiences  while 
on  duty.  At  one  time,  a  German  patrol,  dressed  in  French  uniforms,  slipped 
through  our  lines.  All  of  them  escaped  excepting  the  officer  in  charge.  He  was 
too  proud  to  put  the  French  uniform  on  and  was  shot  by  one  of  the  sentinels. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  one  day  when  a  detachment  of  artillerymen 
.stopped  in  at  one  of  the  colored  men's  kitchens  just  at  mess  time.     None  of  the 


THELIAISON  39 

fellows  had  their  mess  kits  and  this  followed :  Colored  Mess  Sergeant,  "Sergeant 
Green,  I  wants  you  to  git  me  ten  mess  kits  right  away,  tout  suite".  Sergeant 
Green,  "All  right,  youse  grease-ball ;  Corporal  Jackson,  git  me  ten  mess  kits,  niui 
pronto".  Corporal  Jackson,  "All  right.  Sergeant  Second  Platoon — A-ten-shun ! 
Fall  in  with  mess  kits.  Right  face.  Now  as  you  niggers  pass  by  these  white 
gentlemen,  I  wants  you  to  hand  each  one  of  dem  your  mess  kit,  'cause  dey  is  the 
men  what  furnishes  us  with  dem  good  garages  when  we  goes  over  the  top." 
Needless  to  say  the  boys  got  the  mess  kits  and  they  have  always  been  enthusiastic 
over  their  treatment  by  the  men  of  the  92nd  Division,  the  only  complete  division 
of  combatant  negro  troops. 

The  instrument  detail  was  also  busy.  Some  of  the  men  were  on  duty  at  the 
observation  stations.  The  others  worked  in  the  Eegimental  office  where  they 
made  up  the  maps,  tracings  and  worked  on  the  operations  for  the  Regiment. 

The  radio  detail  had  their  station  on  top  of  the  same  hill  occupied  by  the 
telephone  men.  They  did  some  splendid  work  in  co-operation  with  aeroplanes 
in  adjusting  fire  on  an  Austrian  "88",  which  caused  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  until 
it  was  finally  silenced.  Besides  their  assistance  in  the  firing  of  the  Batteries  they 
kept  the  Regiment  informed  as  to  the  correct  time,  a  very  important  thing  in 
military  operations,  and  copied  all  of  the  official  communiques.  Their  men  were 
on  duty  day  and  night. 

The  Gas  officer.  Sag  Paste,  and  his  assistants  were  kept  busy  making  the 
rounds  of  the  Batteries  for  examinations  of  positions  that  had  been  shelled,  de- 
fective gas  shells  and  keeping  them  supplied  with  all  the  necessary  gas  protec- 
tions.    They  supervised  the  gas  proofing  of  the  dugout  on  the  hill. 

The  "hill"  referred  to  was  honeycombed  with  dugouts  and  passageways. 
The  work  had  been  done  with  the  aid  of  an  electric  railroad,  which  penetrated 
the  hill  for  a  distance  of  a  thousand  feet  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet.  The 
dugouts  were  laid  out  in  a  regular  manner.  Three  main  passageways,  with  as 
many  entrances,  were  connected  under  the  hill.  On  each  side  of  the  long  pas- 
sages were  the  rooms,  some  of  them  were  large  enough  to  accommodate  fifty 
men.  The  whole  system  was  large  enough  to  accommodate  a  whole  regiment. 
The  rooms  were  very  comfortable  and  were  lighted  by  electricity — if  one  was 
lucky  enough  to  have  a  bulb. 

The  first  day  had  not  passed  when  the  Old  Man  made  an  inspection  and 
decided  that  the  place  was  not  clean  enough  for  his  men.  The  next  day  Jack 
Friel  appeared  on  the  scene  with  his  squadron  of  "white  wings"  and  the  cleanup 
started.  They  swept  the  streets  and  alleys,  hauled  away  garbage,  opened  up  the 
gutters  and  made  it  look  like  a  new  village.  All  of  the  billets  were  cleaned  out 
and  put  in  good  shape.  After  that  it  was  a  daily  task  to  keep  the  streets  clean, 
for  the  French  people  (the  few  who  were  there),  would  throw  everything  that 
they  did  not  want  right  out  in  the  streets. 

There  was  a  lot  of  "air  activity"  in  this  sector  and  we  had  to  wear  gas 
masks  and  helmets  at  all  times  in  order  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst.  A  bugler 
was  on  guard  all  day  long  and  blew  "attention"  every  time  a  Bosche  plane  ap- 
peared.    That  call  drove  every  one  under  cover  until  the  plane  was  out  of  sight. 


40  THELIAISON 

Bombardments  were  daily  occurrences  while  we  were  at  St.  Genevieve. 
The  Germans  wasted  most  of  their  ammunition  on  the  positions  that  our  Batteries 
had  occupied.  They  did  chase  our  men  under  cover  several  times  though, 
enough  to  make  it  very  interesting.  But  occasionally  the  enemy  would  increase 
their  range  enough  to  drop  a  few  shells  on  the  hillside.  On  one  occasion  they 
shelled  us  a  little  heavier  than  usual.  A  "spare  part"  of  one  of  the  shells  came 
singing  across  and  struck  a  wall  beside  our  kitchen  causing  considerable  com- 
motion among  the  cooks  and  K.  P.'s. 

JMore  commotion  came  from  an  entirely  different  source.  There  were  some 
colored  troops  billeted  in  the  kitchen  building  and  the  only  entrance  to  their 
c[uarters  was  by  ladder  to  a  window.  That  particular  shell  fragment  had  not 
reached  the  ground  before  a  Xegro  stuck  his  head  out  of  the  window,  sniffed 
like  a  hunted  beast  and  said,  "Man,  I'se  leaving  this  heah  place."  And  he  did, 
followed  by  a  regular  stream  of  smoky  companions.  Where  they  went  or  when 
they  came  back  no  one  knows.  To-day  you  will  find  pieces  of  that  "spare  part" 
on  about  ten  different  library  tables  for  it  was  picked  up  immediately  and  divided, 
by  the  aid  of  "Corky's"  blacksmith  tools. 

St.  Genevieve  had  a  little  bath  house  that  had  been  installed  by  the  American 
Engineers.  Here  we  could  take  a  hot  bath  but  the  place  was  so  small  and  so 
dirty  that  we  got  as  dirty  dressing  as  we  were  before  we  started.  But  we  were 
glad  enough  to  take  a  chance  on  any  kind  of  a  bath.  A  barber  was  brought  up 
from  the  echelon  to  cut  our  hair  for  by  this  time  we  were  looking  pretty  rough. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  town  was  a  pretty  good  one  for  while  tlic}^  had  not 
enough  room  to  have  a  reading  room  and  so  forth  they  did  have  a  good  supply 
'  of  the  things  that  the  American  soldier  wanted.  We  could  buy  tobacco,  cigar- 
ettes, cakes  and  candy  there  nearly  every  day.  A  Xegro  band  practiced  in  an 
old  barn  back  of  our  billets  every  day  and  they  sure  could  play  some. 

The  hill  on  which  the  town  was  built  was  so  high  that  the  country  was 
visible  for  miles  around,  and  it  was  a  fine  scene.  Fall  was  just  far  enough  ad- 
vanced to  give  beautiful  coloring  to  the  landscape.  The  Moselle  river  wound 
its  way  in  the  valley  below.  There  were  long  stretches  of  barbed  wire  in  front 
of  us  but  they  did  not  spoil  the  picture.  In  fact  they  had  been  there  so  long 
that  they  seemed  always  to  have  been  a  part  of  it. 

The  peasants  worked  in  the  fields,  seemingly  undisturbed  by  the  roar  of  the 
big  German  guns,  or  their  shells  which  burst  all  day  long  at  no  great  distance 
and  in  plain  view.  Xor  did  they  seem  to  mind  the  whirr  of  the  Bosche  planes 
soaring  high  above  them,  with  shrapnel  and  high  explosive  shells  from  the  anti- 
aircraft batteries  bursting  all  around  them.  Beyond  these  fields  was  a  woods  in 
which  our  ammunition  train  was  located.  One  of  our  batteries  was  located  in 
the  edge  of  the  woods  also. 

On  top  of  the  hill  at  Pont-a-Mousson  we  could  see  the  large  statue  of  Jean 
de  Arc  standing  high  and  defiant  on  one  of  the  towers  in,  the  old  French  fortress. 
For  four  years  and  a  half  the  Germans  had  used  this  statue  for  a  "registration 
point,"  but  for  some  unaccountable  reason  only  one  shell  ever  struck  it.  That 
shell  struck  at  the  base  and  did  very  little  damage  to  the  statue  proper. 


THE     LIAISON  41 

October  20th  orders  came  to  move  to  a  rest  camp,  and  at  6:30  p.  m.  the 
Regiment  started,  assembling  at  Bezaumont  for  the  trip.  We  moved  out  under 
cover  of  the  darkness  leaving  only  a  few  men  to  explain  the  situation  to  the 
colored  regiment  which  relieved  us. 

FIRST  BATTALION. 

The  blackness  of  as  dark  a  night  as  time  has  ever  recorded  had  fallen  upon 
us  as  we  were  still  on  the  march  from  our  early  morning  start  up  to  our  first 
hitch  on  the  front.  All  afternoon  we  had  been  following  the  valley  road  along 
the  battle-made-historic  Moselle  river,  but  at  dusk  we  had  left  the  Company  and 
proceeded  on  alone.  During  one  of  the  rest  periods,  which  the  weary  men  and 
horses  were  making  the  best  of,,  one  of  our  lieutenants  came  down  along  the  line 
of  carriages  informing  the  men  that  our  position  was  at  the  top  of  the  hill  up 
which  we  were  just  starting.  At  the  time  this  news  seemed  encouraging,  but  as 
we  learned  later  the  hill  proved  to  be  a  veritable  mountain.  It  was  only  by 
combining  several  teams  and  taking  one  carriage  up  at  a  time  that  by  midnight 
we  succeeded  in  pulling  up  the  long  drag  to  the  village  of  St.  Genevieve,  near 
Pont-a-Mousson.  In  the  darkness  we  found  sleeping  quarters  in  an  old  barn, 
and  slept,  thinking  no  more  of  Bosche  dangers.  The  following  morning  the  game 
of  war  under  actual  conditions  began  in  earnest. 

The  First  Battalion  Headquarters  received  its  baptism  into  the  game  in  the 
upper  room  of  a  shell-torn  building,  which  the  French  artillery  outfit  that  we  were 
relieving  had  used  as  their  P.  C.  It  consisted  of  two  rooms.  One  of  the  rooms 
was  used  as  a  chart  room,  while  the  other  served  the  dual  purpose  of  sleeping 
quarters  and  observation  room.  The  lower  part  of  the  building  was  occupied 
by  an  old  French  woman  and  her  daughter,  who  had  just  returned  to  their 
devastated  home. 

At  the  appointed  time  for  taking  over  the  sector  everything  was  in  fine 
working  order  under  the  guidance  of  Captain  Babbit,  acting  ^^lajor  of  the  Bat- 
talion. The  chief  duties  of  a  Battalion  Headquarters  are  the  operations  between 
the  batteries  and  Regimental  Headquarters,  and  it  was  no  mean  job. 

This  particular  front  was  what  is  known  as  a  quiet  sector  and  nothing  very 
exciting  happened  for  several  days.  However,  as  we  had  everything  in  readi- 
ness we  began  to  let  Fritz  know  that  we  were  there,  and  he  replied  with  a  ven- 
geance, and  the  "Whiz-bang"  of  Austrian  88's  became  quite  familiar. 

As  all  of  us  w'ere  new  at  the  war  game  many  amusing  incidents  occurred 
in  conversations  over  the  telephone.  In  order  not  to  divulge  any  military  infor- 
mation nothing  was  spoken  of  by  its  proper  name.  Shells  were  often  referred 
to  as  "beans",  gas  was  called  "hot  stufif".  and  so  on.  On  one  occasion  the 
Adjutant  called  up  one  of  the  batteries  and  told  them  to  send  a  man  to  act  as 
guide  for  some  "beans"  that  were  to  go  down  to  them.  In  about  half  an  hour  two 
men  appeared  stating  that  they  were  sent  up  to  take  a  bag  of  beans  back  to  their 
Battery. 

Artillery  activity  in  this  sector  was  hindered  considerably  due  to  the  con- 
sistently poor  visibility  so  that  we  did  not  accomplish  very  much  as  ofitensive 
artillery,  but  played  the  game  as  the  Bosche  did ;  "you  tag  me,   I'll  tag  you." 


42  THELIAISON 

We  did,  however,  receive  wonderful  experience.  Scouts,  telephone  men.  ob- 
servers, all  learned  what  was  expected  of  them,  and  when  we  left  the  sector  ten 
days  later  we  left  like  veterans. 

After  a  few  days  at  Camp  Quest  with  the  Company,  the  Detachment  went 
into  its  second  position,  this  time  in  the  Chambley  sector  before  Briey. 

We  had  just  finished  our  evening  mess,  our  first  meal  at  the  village  of  Vig- 
neulles,  when  orders  came  down  that  the  first  Battalion  was  to  move  forward  that 
night.  As  none  of  the  fellows  had  as  yet  unrolled  their  packs  it  was  the  work 
of  a  very  few  minutes  to  hitch  the  horses  to  the  carriages  again  and  to  start  out 
on  the  march. 

By  this  time  it  was  quite  dark.  Instructions  were  to  take  the  first  road  to 
the  left  and  proceed  to  the  village  of  Hattonville  where  our  guide  would  meet  us. 
Everything  went  along  smoothly  as  we  followed  the  camouflaged  road,  and  we 
soon  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  We  halted  in  the  darkened  street  to 
wait  for  the  guide  to  show  up.  An  Infantry  patrolman  informed  us,  however, 
that  the  place  was  under  shell  fire  and  advised  our  moving  out  of  the  village  a 
short  distance.  We,  however,  had  orders  to  meet  the  guide  there  and  decided 
to  wait  a  little  longer.     When  he  arrived  we  started  on. 

The  trip  forward  from  here  was  along  an  unimproved  road,  which  was 
lighted  occasionally  by  the  flare  of  rockets  sent  up  from  the  Infantry  lines.  The 
sound  of  nearby  firing  could  be  heard  constantly,  and  we  knew  that  we  were  going 
into  quite  a  diflferent  sector  than  our  former  one.  After  travelling  about  an 
hour  we  left  the  road  and  went  into  a  woods  in  which  we  were  to  take  up  a 
position.     W^e  found  shelter  in  some  barracks  formerl)'^  used  by  the  Germans. 

On  this  sector  we  were  again  relieving  a  French  outfit,  so  we  took  over  the 
P.  C.  that  they  had  used.  Those  who  have  never  taken  up  the  work  that  French- 
men have  left  off  can  hardly  appreciate  the  difficulty  connected  with  it.  If  you 
ask  a  Frenchman  for  information  he  invariably  smiles  and  motions  with  his  hands 
to  the  surroundings.  If  you  ask  his  opinion  about  something  he  usually  replies 
that  "its  possible."  Captain  Kinsell,  acting  Major  of  the  Battalion,  at  this  time, 
had  some  of  this  experience  at  St.  Louis  Farme.  A  French  Major  remained  at 
the  P.  C.  to  assist  in  the  work  of  "taking  over"  the  sector.  To  every  question 
that  Captain  Kinsell  asked  him,  or  for  his  advice  on  some  certain  objectives,  he 
replied,  "Veil  as  you  like'',  or  "Et  is  possible".  His  lack  of  assistance,  however, 
did  not  stop  us  and  we  were  soon  in  a  position  to  give  concentration,  barrage  or 
sniping  fire  whenever  called  upon. 

Some  of  the  experiences  that  we  had  on  this  sector  possessed  all  the  thrills 
that  the  most  adventurous  desired.  Our  first  experience  of  being  bombed  at 
night  by  hostile  airplanes,  and  being  caught  in  a  German  barrage  possessed  all  the 
thrills  any  one  would  wish. 

SKCOND  BATTALION. 

It  was  a  long  drag  up  the  hill  from  Bezaumont  to  Eandremont.  Men  and 
horses  were  tired  from  the  all  day  hike.  Climbing  the  hills  along  a  camouflaged 
road,  first  taking  the  reelcart  up,  then  sending  the  team  back  for  the  fourgon. 


THELIAISON  43 

working  in  the  dark  in  a  strange  country,  going  forward  to  we  knew  not  what, 
knowing  that  we  were  hooked  for  the  front  and  expecting  momentarily  to  hear  a 
shell  burst  over  us — in  such  a  state  of  mind,  it  was  a  time  to  "test  men's  souls." 
The  down-grade  into  Landremont  was  finally  reached  and  we  drew  up  in  the 
village  street  in  front  of  the  house  that  was  to  be  Battalion  Headquarters.  The 
fourgon  was  parked  opposite  headquarters,  the  reelcart  and  radio  "picnic 
buggy''  were  pulled  up  a  steep  little  cobble-stoned  grade  to  the  rear  of  the  build- 
ing, and  the  horses  tied  to  the  wheels  for  the  night.  The  detachment  was  billeted 
in  the  loft  of  a  barn  at  the  end  of  the  village,  except  a  few  who  slept  in  a  room  of 
the  Headquarters  building. 

Not  a  sound  from  the  enemy  had  disturbed  our  entry.  Morning  came. 
Still  no  disturbance.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  quiet  sector,  the  Marbache  Sector, 
relieving  a  French  artillery  unit,  which  stayed  on  for  twenty-four  hours,  until 
our  batteries  were  in  position,  and  then  withdrew.  On  their  withdrawal  we 
moved  into  the  billets  that  they  had  used.  The  Battalion  was  in  position  at  this 
place  for  a  week.  Officers  and  men  had  their  final  period  of  training,  the  actual 
handling  of  a  battle  situation.  But  Americans  were  not  content  to  rest  quietly 
in  the  sector,  and  before  tlie  week  was  over  made  things  warm  for  "Jerry",  who 
retaliated  in  kind.  The  communication  lines  were  the  biggest  problem  for  the 
men  of  Headquarters.  The  work  day  became  tvv'enty-four  hours  and  sleep  was 
caught  by  winks.  One  night  is  enough  of  a  sample.  It  was  necessary  to  lay  a 
line  to  the  Infantry  and  the  job  proved  exciting.  Corporal  Watson  reported  as 
follows : 

"A  line  to  the  Infantry."  Those  were  the  orders.  No  one  asked  why  but 
prepared  to  start,  and  everything  being  in  readiness  we  made  our  getaway  from 
l^.attalion  Headquarters  at  6:00  o'clock  in  the  evening.  A  drizzling  rain  was 
falling  and  a  heavy  mist  made  the  night  very  dark  and  disagreeable. 

"We  started  laying  our  line  from  the  F  battery  P.  C.  (post  of  command). 
From  there  we  took  a  course  across  coimtry  to  where  we  should  hit  the  road 
leading  to  our  forward  observation  post,  which  was  to  be  in  the  town  of  Port 
sur  Seille.  After  laying  considerably  more, wire  than  was  necessary,  caused  by 
losing  our  way.  we  reached  the  road  in  question.  Every  one  felt  relieved  on 
reaching  it  and  looked  for  easy  sailing  for  the  rest  of  the  way.  Things  progressed 
in  good  order  until  somewhere  in  the  darkness  in  front  of  us  a  machine  gun 
barked.    We  took  to  cover. 

"Some  one  in  our  party  yelled  and  that  brought  another  volley.  Then  the 
offi.cer  in  charge  and  a  scout  went  forward  to  reconnoitre  and  found  the  machine 
gun  nest  manned  by  Americans.  We  moved  up  to  the  ruins  where  the  nest  was 
and  found  that  we  had  come  over  a  road  upon  which  all  traffic  was  barred,  espe- 
cially at  night.     But  luckily  no  one  was  injured. 

"From  the  gun  emplacement  we  started  for  Port  sur  Seille,  but  as  we  were 
unfamiliar  with  the  ground  and  were  very  close  to  the  German  lines,  we  turned 
back  towards  our  own  Headquarters.  The  remainder  of  the  wire  was  laid  by 
hand  through  a  communicating  trench  by  four  men.  The  Lieutenant  remained 
at  the  machine  gun  nest  and  the  rest  of  the  party  started  back  toward  the  battery 


44  THE     LIAISON 

F  position.  As  it  was  very  dark  and  the  rain  had  increased  to  a  downpour,  we 
were  compelled  to  lead  the  horses,  with  one  hand  on  the  bridle  and  the  other  on 
the  wire  in  order  to  keep  on  the  right  track. 

"Arriving-  at  the  Battery  F  position  we  laid  the  wire  from  there  to  Battalion 
Headquarters.  We  arrived  at  Landremont  at  5  :(X)  a.  m.,  after  an  all  night  trip, 
wet,  muddy,  and  ready  for  a  well-earned  sleep.  The  following  day  the  men  left 
up  forward  came  straggling  back." 

The  observation  post  was  at  the  top  of  the  very  steep  hill,  halfway  down 
whose  slope  Landremont  v/as  situated.  From  this  O.  P.,  Aletz  could  be  seen  on 
a  clear  day — but  we  had  no  clear  days.  The  hills  and  valleys  from  this  view- 
point were  peaceful  looking  enough  and,  if  the  landscape  had  not  been  scarred 
with  trenches  and  barbed  wire  entanglements,  one  could  easily  have  thought 
the  war  a  dream ;  for  even  here  there  were  attempts  at  cultivation,  and  a  few 
cows,  goats  and  pigs  were  in  the  pasture.  Captain  Norton  was  Acting  Battalion 
Commander  in  the  absence  of  Major  Schlegel,  who  had  been  taken  to  the  hos- 
pital from  Laimont,  with  the  Spanish  Influenza.  During  the  week  Captain  Nor- 
ton left  for  a  training  school  at ,  where  he  was  detailed  as  an 

instructor.  Captain  John  N.  Garfield,  Commander  of  Battery  D  became  Acting 
]\Iajor. 

The  detachment  had  their  own  kitchen  and  drew  rations  from  the  dump  at 
Bezaumont.  Cook  Russel  Renner  was  detailed  to  the  Second  Battalion  detach- 
ment from  the  Regimental  detachment,  and  Cook  Xiedbalski  from  the  Supply 
Company.  These  two  remained  with  the  detachment  until  the  end  of  the  war 
and  their  constant  work  and  interest  in  the  feeding  did  much  to  keep  up  the  fine 
esprit  de  corps  of  the  detachment. 

Saturday,  October  19th,  1918,  colored  artillery  of  the  92nd  Division  came 
in  to  relieve  us.  That  evening  the  reelcart  was  loaded  and  with  the  greater  part 
of  the  detail  pulled  out  in  the  dismal  rain  for  the  Regimental  Echelon  at  Millery. 
That  Saturday  the  picnic  buggy  had  gone  to  ^Earbache  for  a  load  of  supplies 
from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  warehouse.  The  getaway  of  the  detachment  was  made  in 
the  excitement  of  a  big  sale  of  "Eats'',  the  deluge  of  colored  troops,  and  rain. 

Arrived  at  Millery,  the  billet  of  the  Headquarters  Company  was  soon 
located,  the  reelcart  parked  and  the  horses  stabled.  The  billet  was  an  immense 
old  barn  or  house,  whichever  is  proper — for  a  French  village  home  is  a  single 
roof  covering  living  quarters,  stables  and  haymows.  The  second  and  third  floors 
of  this  domicile  had  been  fitted  with  bunks.  We  found  room  on  the  third  floor 
and  were  soon  asleep. 

The  next  day  the  rest  of  the  detachment  came  to  the  echelon.  This  Sunday 
passed  quickly.  Monday  at  8:30  a.  m..  the  Regiment  left  Millery  and  hiked  to 
a  rest  camp.  We  crossed  the  river  just  outside  of  Millery,  passed  through  ^lar- 
bache  and  Saiserais  to  a  woods  camp  near  Avrainville.  This  camp  was  named 
Camp  Quest.  Getting  into  this  camp  was  quite  a  job.  The  road  was  a  mere 
track  from  the  main  road  across  the  sticky  wet  clay  fields  to  the  woods.  The 
wagons  were  heavily  loaded  but,  by  resting  the  horses  frequently,  everything  was 
finally  in  park  and  the  men  found  bunk  space. 


THELIAISON  45 

There  were  not  enough  barracks  to  accommodate  the  entire  liegiment  and 
some  of  the  men  slept  in  pup  tents.  The  weather  was  rainy  but  the  sun  shone 
part  of  the  few  days  we  "rested"  here.  These  few  days  gave  us  an  opportunity 
to  clean  up.  The  Supply  Sergeant  issued  new  clothes ;  also  by  walking  to 
Avrainville  we  could  wash  clothes  at  the  village  wash  house.  These  village 
wash  houses  are  a  convenience  seen  in  almost  all  French  villages.  While  at 
Camp  Ouest  we  received  quite  a  lot  of  mail,  first  and  second  class.  A  great 
many  letters  were  written,  also. 

Italian  soldiers  were  quartered  at  Avrainville  for  work  on  the  railroad. 
This  was  our  first  experience  with  them  and  we  found  them  very  friendly.  For 
the  most  part  they  were  just  young  boys. 

ViGNEULLES. 

Saturday  noon,  C^-tober  26th,  we  carried  our  packs  over  to  the  road  beyond 
Avrainville  and  loaded  onto  auto  trucks.  The  caissons  were  tied,  two  behind 
each  truck.  The  truck  drivers  were  French  and  were  tired  out  from  a  long 
hitch  at  the  wheel.  They  must  have  had  a  sixth  sense  to  see  the  road  after  dark 
without  lights.  We  left  Avrainville  at  3  :00  p.  m.,  passed  through  Mannoncourt, 
Tremblecourt,  Domevre,  Alanonville,  Xoviant,  Beaumont,  Rambucourt,  Roucon- 
ville,  and  reached  Apremont  at  10:00  p.  m.  We  slept  in  the  ruins  of  a  big  hos- 
telry. 

Sunday  was  spent  here  at  Apremont  wandering  about  the  hills  through  the 
German  trench  system  and  dugouts  which  had  been  occupied  by  them  for  four 
years,  and  only  recently  abandoned.  The  living  quarters  in  these  dugouts  were 
complete  even  to  plate  glass  mirrors,  brass  beds,  and  pianos,  taken  probably, 
from  the  town.  Back  on  one  hill  the  German  officers  had  a  recreation  park  and 
beer  garden.  The  ruins  of  fine  old  homes  in  Apremont  was  especially  pitiful. 
The  town  had  only  recently  been  evacuated  and  ruin  was  on  every  side. 

The  Regiment  left  Apremont  ^Monday  at  7:30  a.  m.  on  another  hike  to  the 
front.  Through  Varneville  and  Heudicourt  we  marched  toward  VigneuUes. 
The  French  Artillery  whom  we  were  relieving  passed  us  on  the  road.  We 
passed  a  section  gang  of  black  Americans  building  a  roadway  across  the  rail- 
road. They  gave  us  a  happy  greeting  and  said,  "You  boys  keep  Fritz  up  there. 
Push  him  away.     W^e  don't  want  him  back  this  heah  way,  no  suh !" 

Before  reaching  Yigneulles  the  Second  Battalion  detachment  turned  off  into 
the  woods  toward  St.  Benoit,  and  established  FTeadquarters  in  a  recently  aban- 
doned group  of  small,  one  story,  wooden  billets.  Heinie  had  lived  here  in  style 
and  had  left  in  a  hurry.  The  place  was  not  burned  down  as  so  many  other  billet 
centers  in  the  wood  had  been.  We  found  stoves  and  other  comforts,  even  to 
stove  wood  ready  for  burning,  kitchen  utensils,  etc.  The  space  about  the  little 
buildings  was  filled  with  hutches  for  rabbits,  in  which  were  miniature  racks  and 
cement  feed  troughs. 

We  had  halted  on  the  main  road  through  the  woods,  unloaded  the  fourgon 
and  brought  everything  on  a  narrow  gauge  flat  car  up  a  muddy  side  road  to  the 
billets. 


46  THE     LIAISON 

The  firing  batteries  were  up  ahead  of  us  near  the  St.  Benoit-Fresnes  road. 
Some  of  the  telephone  men  went  forward  at  once  to  estabHsh  communication. 
On  Wednesday  at  4:00  a.  m.,  the  Battalion  Commander  and  the  Adjutant  went 
forward  to  a  new  P.  C,  near  the  batteries.  A  few  days  later  the  detachment 
moved  forward- 

This  new  P.  C.  was  in  a  house  just  off  the  Benoit-Fresnes  road  toward  Hau- 
mont,  in  front  of  the  guns  and  just  back  of  the  outpost  lines  of  the  Infantry. 
The  gun  positions  were  in  front  of  the  Infantry  positions. 

Activity  increased  in  intensity  daily.  The  Infantry  pulled  off  nightly  raids. 
On  one  night  we  were  awakened  by  the  alarms  of  "gas"  coming  back  from  the 
Infantry  advance  position.  We  donned  masks  but  being  higher  than  the  Infan- 
try the  gas  did  not  reach  us.  After  half  an  hour  the  order  to  remove  masks 
was  given. 

The  officers  went  forward  frequently  in  daylight  for  reconnaissance  and 
adjustment.  On  one  of  these  trips  Captain  Bluem  got  into  the  German  trenches, 
located  a  machine  gun  nest,  directed  his  Battery  fire  from  his  precarious  position 
and  blew  Heinie's  machine  guns  up.  Snipers  sighted  the  Captain  but  fortu- 
nately he  escaped  without  injury. 

Several  times  the  Germans  searched  the  woods  for  our  positions  with  their 
fire  and  kept  the  air  loud  with  observers.  On  one  clear  day  these  German  ob- 
servers flew  especially  low  and  got  away  with  it.  It  was  decided  best  to  evacuate 
the  position  temporarily.  A  hasty  withdrawal  into  the  woods  was  made.  And 
none  too  soon,  for  the  Germans  had  located  the  place  and  shelled  it  heavily  during 
the  night.  At  five  o'clock  the  following  morning,  however,  our  guns  were  back 
in  position  and  firing  a  barrage-  This  was  the  night  that  Battalion  Headquarters 
was  moved  twice. 

A  party  from  Battalion  Headquarters  accompanied  one  of  the  Infantry 
raids ;  Corporal  Beachy  tells  the  story : 

"We  had  just  gone  into  position  on  our  second  trip  to  the  front  and  we 
were  backing  up  the  28th  Division  Infantry.  A  big  raid  was  to  be  pulled  off" 
early  the  next  morning.  A  Battalion  of  Infantry  was  to  go  over  just  before 
daybreak  and  attack  from  the  right  edge  of  our  sector.  They  were  to  penetrate 
a  strip  of  woods,  the  Bois  de  Bonseil. 

"The  object  was  to  clean  out  the  woods  and  return  with  prisoners  and  infor- 
mation. Our  Batteries  were  called  upon  to  furnish  the  barrage,  and  a  patrol 
from  our  company  was  to  go  out  early  into  No  Man's  Land  to  be  in  readiness  to 
establish  communication  between  the  attacking  troops  and  our  own  lines. 

"At  1  :30  a.  m.  we  were  awakened  by  the  guard.  We  examined  our  rifles 
and  pistols,  and  reported  to  the  Bn.  P.  C.  After  giving  us  our  orders,  Captain 
Garfield  added,  'Breakfast  will  be  at  7:30.  I  don't  want  to  see  a  man  late.' 
A  few  minutes  later  we  reported  at  the  Infantry  first  line. 

"Two  Infantry  scouts  joined  us  there  and  with  final  instructions  as  to  silence, 
formation,  carefulness  and  dropping  to  the  ground  at  the  least  warning,  we  en- 
tered No  Man's  Land.     The  little  village  of  Haumont,  commonly  known  as  No 


THELIAISON  47 

Man's  Town,  because  of  its  location  in  No  Alan's  Land,  was  held  as  an  advanced 
outpost  by  our  troops,  in  the  daytime,  while  at  night  the  Germans  took  it  over. 
It  was  of  no  military  value.  Two  hundred  yards  on  the  opposite  side  of  this 
village  we  were  to  take  our  positiQn  in  a  shell  hole.  We  had  laid  a  light  tele- 
phone wire  out  to  this  place  the  day  before,  being  interrupted  by  enemy  snipers. 

"It  was  a  dark  night  and  we  could  but  dimly  make  out  anything  ahead  of  us. 
As  we  cautiously  rounded  the  edge  of  a  little  wood  a  low  but  clear  voice  ordered, 
'Halt!  Who's  there.'  It  was  our  outpost  and  we  gave  the  password  as  we 
looked  into  the  muzzle  of  an  American  machine  gun.  An  open  field  lay  between 
this  woods  and  the  village,  and  assuming  a  "V"  formation,  crouching  low  we  ad- 
vanced, slowly  and  silently,  across  this  field  to  the  outskirts  of  the  village- 

"Here  we  assumed  a  new  formation,  splitting  into  two  single  columns,  one 
on  each  side  of  the  narrow  street,  with  safe  intervals  between  each  man.  From 
this  point  we  had  to  be  more  cautious  and  watchful,  for  German  patrols  infested 
the  town  every  night.  Every  little  noise  sounded  strange  and  every  rock  and 
stump  looked  suspicious  as  we  went  on  our  way  among  the  ruins  and  rock  piles. 
Time  after  time  we  dropped  flat  on  the  ground  to  watch  and  to  listen  to  a  sus- 
picious sound  in  the  next  street  or  in  some  ruined  building,  then  carefully  crawled 
forward  again. 

"Finally  we  reached  the  other  side  of  the  village  and  crawled  out  on  a  road 
that  led  to  the  German  lines.  Suddenly  we  discovered  that  our  Lieutenant  was 
missing.  Had  he  strayed  too  far  away  from  us  and  been  taken  prisoner,  or  had 
he  lost  sight  of  the  patrol  and  taken  another  route?  For  minutes  that  seemed 
like  hours  we  lay  there  straining  our  eyes  in  an  endeavor  to  pierce  the  darkness, 
and  listening  to  catch  any  little  sound  that  might  indicate  the  whereabouts  of 
our  missing  officer  or  an  enemy  patrol. 

"Nothing  resulted  so  we  decided  to  go  on  without  him  for  it  was  nearing 
the  'H'  hour.  We  reached  the  line  that  we  had  laid  the  day  before  and  found 
that  enemy  patrols  had  discovered  and  cut  it  in  a  dozen  places.  There  was 
nothing  to  do  but  repair  these  cuts.  After  this  was  done  we  set  out  once  more 
for  our  destination,  about  two  hundred  yards  away. 

"We  had  scarcely  taken  a  step  before  the  reports  from  four  batteries 
sounded  simultaneously.  Our  guns  were  beginning  their  preliminary  shelling  of 
the  Bois  de  Bonseil.  Our  Doughboys  were  concentrating  at  their  jumping  off 
place  to  our  right.  The  sound  of  our  guns  and  the  steady  singing  of  the  shells  as 
they  passed  overhead  raised  our  spirits  a  hundred  per  cent.,  for  we  had  all  the 
confidence  in  the  world  in  the  men  behind  those  guns. 

"When  we  reached  our  shell  hole  we  were  surprised  to  find  our  lost  Lieuten- 
ant there  waiting  for  us-  He  had  become  lost  at  the  outskirts  of  the  village 
and  finding  the  wire  had  followed  it  to  the  hole. 

"The  German  Artillery  began  to  bark.  Our  enemy  evidently  thought  that 
we  would  use  Haumont  for  a  jumping-ofif  place  for  he  was  laying  down  a  bar- 
rage all  along  the  edge  of  the  village  using  H.  E.  (high  explosive)  and  gas 
shells  of  large  calibre.  We  were  now  cut  off  from  our  front  lines,  but  we  still 
had  communication  with  them. 


48  THELIAISON 

"The  first  dim  rays  of  light  were  beginning  to  make  their  appearance  in  the 
eastern  sky  as  the  machine  guns  began  their  deadly  rat-tat-tat.  Our  Dough- 
boys had  reached  the  enemies"  barbed  wire  and  the  quick  spurts  of  fire  from  the 
woods  revealed  the  numerous  machine  gun  nests. 

''Xow  a  new  problem  confronted  us.  The  enemy  barrage  was  raising 
havoc  with  our  wire  and  it  was  necessary  to  send  a  man  through  that  shell  fire 
to  repair  it.  This  necessitated  many  monkey-tactics  and  snake-like  manoeu- 
vers  in  dodging  the  shells  and  hugging  old  Mother  Earth  whenever  a  steel  mes- 
senger ended  its  screaming  flight  with  a  Blam ! — followed  by  a  shower  of  earth, 
and  shell  fragments,  or  an  uncomfortable  jarring  of  the  human  body  if  the  burst 
happened  to  be  close.  But  the  shells  were  cutting  our  wire  faster  than  we  could 
repair  it.  Consequently  several  runners  had  to  be  used  to  keep  up  the  communi- 
cation. 

"By  this  time  it  was  quite  light  and  our  Doughboys  were  making  great 
headway  through  the  German  lines.  Wounded  men  were  being  carried  back ; 
terrified  prisoners  were  unceremoniously  escorted  to  the  rear,  occasionally  accel- 
erated by  an  impulsive  jab  with  a  bayonet. 

''Advancing  in  the  face  of  strong  resistance  by  enemy  machine  guns,  our 
Doughboys  took  the  woods-  The  Germans  were  quick  to  throw  up  their  hands 
and  yell  'Kamerad',  when  they  saw  the  cold  steel  of  the  Yanks  threatening  them. 
Our  barrage  followed  by  the  Infantry  swept  the  woods.  The  enemy  counter 
battery  work  availed  them  nothing :  they  tried  in  vain  to  locate  our  guns  but  their 
shells  dropped  harmlessly  in  vacant  areas.     The  day  was  ours." 

The  weather  during  these  days  was  spring-like  and  sunshiny.  An  O.  P. 
was  taken  up  on  a  hill  under  the  roof  of  a  fine  old  French  home  on  the  road  St. 
Benoit-Fresnes,  called  Hasavant  Ferme.  It  was  from  this  point  that  the  German 
fireworks  exhibition  was  watched  on  the  night  of  the  eleventh.  Shortly  after 
the  establishment  of  this  O.  P.  the  Battalion  was  moved  to  the  left  into  a  position 
immediately  to  the  rear  of  the  Hasavant  Ferme  buildings,  and  Battalion  Head- 
quarters was  set  up  in  German  billets  a  few  hundred  meters  back  of  the  batteries. 
An  incident  of  deep  purport  that  occurred  at  this  O.  P.  is  told  by  one  of  the 
instrument  men  as  follows : 

Prtsoxf.rs  of  War. 

'Tn  the  'Great  War",  hate,  bitter  and  implacable,  was  a  dominant  passion  and 
a  few  times  the  .American  soldier  was  censured  for  his  too  chivalrous  attitude 
toward  the  savage  Tfun.  despoiler  of  homes,  child  murderer  and  profaner  of  the 
sanctity  of  womanhood.  The  "Doctrine  of  Hate'  was  preached  vehemently 
by  some  of  our  leading  magazine  writers  as  absolutely  essential  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  victory,  and  retaliation  of  the  Hun  type  was  intimated  as  our  proper 
course  of  action.  But  how  did  the  Yankee  lad  fight?  Has  he  in  any  way  sul- 
lied the  Flag  or  dishonored  its  proud  heritage  of  knightly  deeds?  Is  he  com- 
ing back  to  you  a  beast  of  rampant  hate  and  black  passions,  his  soul  polluted  with 
the  lewd  desecration  of  purity — one  who  resorted  to  Hell  for  the  ingenuity  that 
gave  him  victory?     Or  is  he  coming  lo  you  as  one  who  found  his  triumph  in  the 


THELIAISON  49 

clear  consciousness  of  manly  strength  and  courage,  a  clean,  strong,  chivdrous 
soul  within,  determined  to  'play  the  game  square'  at  all  costs?  Perhaps  you 
think  he  lacked  the  inspiration  and  fortitude  that  comes  from  a  true  perception  of 
the  ideals  at  stake;  that  he  fought  as  a  matter  of  course,  little  concerned  in  the 
Destiny  he  was  carving  for  the  future  with  his  bayonet. 

"Let  me  tell  you  a  story,  a  true  story  of  the  immeasurable  reaches  of  the 
heart  of  the  American  soldier,  a  story,  simple  in  detail,  that  will  make  you 
supremely  proud  of  America  and  her  champions  on  the  battlefields  across  the  sea. 

"It  was  about  4 :00  a.  m.,  and  a  cold,  drizzling  rain,  the  disagreeable  Novem- 
ber kind,  was  beating  down  through  a  dense  fog.  I  was  on  forward  observation 
duty  in  an  old  farm  house,  my  head  poked  through  a  hole  in  the  roof  watching 
the  Hun  lines  for  any  information  of  military  value.  Just  below  me  in  the  soggy 
road  a  company  of  Doughboys  of  the  28th  Division  were  'falling  in'  for  a  raid 
on  the  Bosche  lines.  An  upwelling  of  sympathy  for  the  gallant  fellows  that  were 
going  out  in  that  mud  and  rain  and  fog  aroused  my  interest  and  I  listened  to 
their  preparations.  The  slush  of  feet  in  the  mud,  the  subdued  bustle  and  hushed 
voices  of  the  platoon  leaders  calling  roll  came  up  to  me  through  that  impene- 
trable fog  charged  with  a  peculiar  uncanniness,  and  I  shivered  at  the  horror  of 
this  beastly  game  of  war.  Gallant  fellows,  every  one,  endowed  with  youth  and 
its  resplendent  hopes,  entitled  to  peace  and  home  and  friends,  going  out  without 
a  murmur,  yes,  eagerly,  and  gladly,  to  an  unforseen  fate — going  because  above 
all  this  an  ideal,  dearer  than  life  and  home  and  friends,  was  at  stake. 

"Their  Colonel  was  present  to  give  them  an  inspection  and  final  instructions. 
Carefully  he  looked  to  the  equipment  of  each  man,  helmet,  gas  mask,  rifle,  hand 
grenades  and  wire  cutters.  Then  he  explained  their  mission,  its  importance,  the 
grave  dangers  involved,  the  necessity  for  absolute  quiet  and  discipline.  Their 
objective  was  a  strong  German  support  position,  a  veritable  nest  of  machine 
guns  almost  impregnable.  They  were  to  work  their  way  forward,  silently  cut 
their  way  through  the  enemy's  wire  entanglements,  creep  up  to  the  position  and 
fall  upon  it  if  possible  before  discovered.  Success  depended  upon  the  perfect 
quietness  of  the  operation-  There  nas  to  be  no  supporting  Artillery  barrage. 
Calling  upon  each  man  to  do  his  part  he  sent  them  away  with,  'Good  luck,  good 
bye,  and  T  pray  God's  blessings  upon  you  every  one.'  Then  out  through  the  night 
they  went  in  double  file  without  a  sound  other  than  the  dull  measured  splash, 
splash,  splash  of  moving  feet  in  the  deep  mud.  Grimly  silent,  going  out  in  the 
grey  gloom  of  such  a  morning  to  the  attack  of  a  cunning  foe,  without  Artillery 
support,  where  in  all  this  is  the  adventuresome  dash,  the  sustaining  excitement 
of  the  open  encounter?  What  inspiring  forces  in  these  somber  etchings  of  this 
cold,  calculating  business  of  war  to  cheer  them  to  deeds  of  high  valor? 

"Perhaps  an  hour  later  the  persistent  rat,  tat,  tat  of  machine  gun  and  rifle 
fire  told  me  that  the  raid  was  on.  Following  almost  immediately  on  this  was 
the  roar  of  Hun  Artillery,  and  my  mind  filled  with  dire  misgivings.  Instinctively 
I  felt  that  the  raid  had  failed,  that  our  boys  had  been  caught  in  the  Bosche  defen- 
sive barrage  as  they  advanced.  With  these  fears  in  mind  I  left  the  post  at  the 
end  of  my  shift  and  went  back  to  the  Battalion  for  morning  mess. 


50  THELIAISON 

"On  returning  to  the  farm  house  I  found  there  the  remnants  of  the  company 
returned  from  the  raid.  I  say  remnants  thoughtfully,  for  it  was  Hterally  true. 
The  raid  had  failed  disastrously,  resulting  in  the  loss  of  eighty  men.  In  some 
way  Fritz  had  'got  wise'  to  the  whole  affair  and  was  ready  for  them.  Accord- 
ing to  the  story  told  things  seemed  to  be  going  fine.  Our  men  had  worked  their 
way  up  to  the  outer  defense,  cut  their  way  through  the  wire  entanglenieiits  and 
were  just  ready  to  fall  upon  the  enemy,  when,  suddenly  and  without  the  least 
warning,  rifles,  machine  guns  and  Artillery  cut  loose  on  them  with  a  hail  stonn 
of  steel.  The  Lieutenant  commanding  instantly  saw  the  desperate  predicament 
they  were  in.  Turning  he  shouted,  'We  are  trapped.  For  God's  sake  get  back,' 
and  fell  dead.  So  quickly  was  it  necessary  to  act  that  only  a  few  of  the  wounded 
were  secured,  the  rest  being  left  on  the  field. 

"But  now  we  come  to  the  real  story,  that  which  so  beautifully  exemplifies 
the  true  grandeur  of  the  American  fighting  man.  On  their  retreat  from  the 
disastrous  field  they  had  captured  two  Germans  in  an  advanced  listening  post. 
These  they  had  in  the  old  barn  sitting  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairway.  A  group 
of  the  boys  was  around  them  and  one  was  talking  to  them  in  German.  They 
were  muddy,  and  wet,  and  cold  and  looked  as  though  they  expected  unspeakable 
torture  from  the  group  of  Yanks  around  them.  Their  eyes,  from  out  pale  faces, 
glanced  furtively  and  fearfully  at  their  captors  and  they  had  little  to  say.  Sit- 
ting close  to  them  was  a  little  Doughboy  plastered  with  mud  fiom  head  to  foot, 
hands  and  face  scratched  and  bleeding.  Seeing  their  abject  fear  his  heart  was 
touched  with  pity  for  these  creatures  of  an  Army  whose  inhuman  leader  in  1914 
chose  to  order  'ravaging  by  fire  and  sword,  the  slaughter  of  men,  women  and 
children  and  old  folk,  the  levelling  of  every  tree  and  every  house.'  Awkwardly 
and  confusedly  he  extended  to  them  a  bag  of  'Bull  Durham'  and  cigarette 
papers.  (Bless  him !  He  blushed  because  he  was  afraid  his  pals  would  call  him  an 
old  woman).  You  should  have  seen  the  glow  of  gratitude  in  the  eyes  of  those 
men,  the  wonderment  and  surprise !  Their  faces  seemed  to  say,  'W^hat,  are  these 
the  Americans  to  whom  we  were  never  to  surrender,  because  of  the  awful  tor- 
tures they  inflicted  upon  prisoners?"  It  was  one  of  those  little,  usually  un- 
noticed things  in  life  that  makes  this  such  an  immeasurably  dear  old  world  to 
live  in.  They  accepted  the  gift  gratefully  and  eagerly  and  started  to  roll  cigar- 
ettes, but  their  hands  were  too  cold.  Seeing  this  the  same  little  Doughboy  passed 
them  out  a  pack  of  'tailor  mades",  with  the  full  and  admiring  approval  of  his 
comrades — men  who  had  just  been  out  in  that  cold  wet  morning  facing  wounds 
and  death  from  these  whom  they  now  befriended. 

"There  were  a  few  fellows  present  out  of  an  outfit  on  its  way  to  the  front, 
men  new  to  the  game.  One  of  them  sneered  at  this  little  unassuming  show  of 
kindness  and  remarked  that  the  dirty  hounds  ought  to  be  shot,  treated  as  they 
treated  their  prisoners.  Like  a  flash  the  little  Doughboy  replied,  'We  don't 
treat  prisoners  that  way,  buddy;  we  ain't  Bosche,  we're  Americans.'  The  re- 
vengeful one  had  not  another  word  to  say,  he  was  utterly  subdued.  And  who 
would  not  have  been  in  the  face  of  such  unembittered  restitution  of  good  for 
evil,  such  complete  fulfillment  of  the  'love  thine  enemies'  degree? 


THE     LIAISON  51 

"Then  some  one  stepped  out  into  the  hall  and  said,  'bring  them  in  here.' 
I  followed  them  into  the  room,  saw  them  seated  at  a  table  and  set  before  each 
one  a  plate  heaped  high  with  hot  cakes,  and  syrup  running  over  the  sides.  The 
cook  with  face  in  smiles,  was  bustling  around  the  stove  frying  more  cakes  to 
take  the  place  of  those  disappearing  from  the  plates  so  rapidly.  The  prisoners 
were  literally  transfigured,  their  pale,  pinched  faces  suffused,  their  eyes  fairly 
aglow  with  unspeakable  appreciation.  One  said,  Tt  is  hard  to  believe  that  this 
is  ViOt  a  dream  after  all  the  lies  our  leaders  told  us.  Had  I  known  what  I  know 
now,  I  would  have  been  a  prisoner  two  years  ago.'  There  you  have  the  splendid 
truth  exemplified ;  the  German  is  no  more  to  be  conquered  by  cruelty  in  the  inner 
citadel  of  his  heart  than  we  are.  Where  the  force  of  cruelty  fails  the  might  of 
mercy  is  insuperable. 

"This  is  the  story,  my  most  profound  impression  of  the  war,  and  what  a 
moment  of  exalted  pride  it  was,  one  of  those  luminous  occasions  of  infinite 
heights  and  depths  that  come  so  rarely  in  the  short  span  of  a  lifetime.  That  is 
how  the  Yanks  fought  and  therein  you  find  why  we  won." 

Many  Artillery  units,  both  light  and  heavy,  entered  the  sector  and  went  into 
position.  The  Infantry  was  greatly  reinforced.  These  were  the  days  preceding 
the  end.  We  received  the  news  of  November  8th  telling  of  the  German  plenipo- 
tentaries  entry  into  the  Allied  lines  with  mingled  feelings  of  hope  and  surprise. 
Preparation  went  steadily  forward  for  an  enormous  drive  with  Briey  as  the  ob- 
jective. On  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  this  drive  was  to  start.  Some  of  the 
Doughboys  did  go  over  in  raids  on  that  morning  and  paid  the  Great  Price  on  the 
verge  of  Peace. 

The  final  morning  of  the  war  and  the  reactionary  celebration  of  peace  is 
well  recounted  by  Corporal  Beachy : 

11-11-11. 

"Eleven-eleven-eleven-eighteen,  that  is  11:00  a.  m.  of  the  11th  day  of  the 
1 1th  month  of  1918 — a  date  not  soon  to  be  forgotten  by  any  soldier  who  chanced 
to  be  on  the  firing  line  at  that  memorable  time. 

"We  had  been  sending  over  a  slow  steady  fire  all  morning.  The  Doughboys 
were  mixing  it  with  Heinie  at  various  points  along  the  line.  We  had  been  told 
that  hostilities  would  cease  at  1 1 :00  o'clock,  but  we  doubted  it  nevertheless.  W'e 
were  anxiously  awaiting  the  eleventh  hour. 

"At  10:59  all  Hell  seemed  to  have  broken  loose.  Every  gun  on  the  entire 
line  roared  and  blazed  its  farewell  message.  At  eleven  o'clock  all  was  silence. 
Cannoneers  had  fired  their  last  shot ;  Doughboys  still  held  on  to  their  rilles  and 
wondered ;  airmen  hovered  dubiously  overhead.  The  war  had  breathed  its  last. 
It  was  difficult,  almost  impossible  to  comprehend.  We  had  learned  to  associate 
France  with  war  and  it  was  not  easy  to  conceive  of  being  there  in  the  midst  of 
shell-wrecked  ruins  and  barbed  wire,  and  no  longer  hear  the  rumblings  of  the 
guns,  the  whining  of  the  shells  as  they  sped  through  the  air,  or  the  Blam  of  a 
'210'  as  it  ploughed  through  the  earth.     It  took  time  to  realize  what  it  meant. 

"The  downhearted,  beaten  Germans  had  evidently  been  waiting  this  hour. 
The  smoke  from  the  last  shell  burst  had  scarcely  cleared  away  when  they  threw 


52  THELIAISON 

down  their  guns,  tossed  their  hehnets  into  the  air  and  plunged  through  the 
barbed  wire.  Heinies  and  Yanks  were  soon  gathered  in  smair  groups  out  in  No 
Man's  Land  asking  questions  and  swapping  souvenirs. 

"The  evening  of  that  day  witnessed  a  wonderful  transfiguration.  Instead 
of  the  dark  gloomy  outlines  of  shattered  villages,  lights  shown  from  the  interior 
of  these  ruins:  happy  faces  gathered  about  blazing  fires;  all  talked  of  home  and 
sang  old  familiar  melodies,  rehearsing  in  the  mud  all  of  the  popular  dances  of 
the  modern  ball-room. 

"Ambulances,  trucks,  officers'  cars  and  motorcycles  that  heretofore  had  fe't 
their  way  along  the  roads  in  total  darkness,  now  sped  by  with  the  tail  and  head 
lights  flaring  brightly. 

"On  the  other  side  of  Xo  Man's  Land  Heinie  seemed  to  be  even  more  jubi- 
lant. Blazing  fires  leaped  skyward ;  moving  lights  dotted  the  hills,  woods  and 
roads ;  dazzling  rockets  of  all  colors  and  descriptions  shot  up  into  the  sky  all 
along  the  lines,  the  splendor  of  the  scene  surpassing  any  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration. 

"There  were  few  men  who  did  not  sit  up  till  late  that  night  or  lie  awake 
talking  of  good  old  times  back  home  and  making  elaborate  plans  for  the  future." 

The  night  of  the  12th  the  detachment  did  not  turn  in  early.  There  were  too 
many  letters  to  Vv'rite  and  possible  developments  to  talk  over.  Everybody  was 
feeling  fine  and  when  the  lights  were  out,  lay  awake  in  the  old  German  billet, 
telling  stories.  Shortly  before  midnight  we  went  to  sleep,  but  just  at  twelve  the 
telephone  operator  yelled  out  moving  orders.  Soon  we  were  up,  made  rolls  and 
loaded  the  wagon.  In  the  chill  of  the  night  we  walked  through  the  woods  by 
candle  and  flashlight  to  the  road.  At  the  main  woods  road  we  built  a  fire  and 
waited  for  the  reelcart  and  party  from  the  O.  P.  at  Hasavant  Ferme.  When 
they  came,  the  detachment,  together  again  as  a  unit,  walked  through  the  early  dawn 
to  Vigneulles.  Here  on  the  edge  of  town  in  the  ruins  of  somebody's  home  we 
set  up  the  field  range  and  Pinkie  and  Max  soon  had  hot  pancakes  and  coflfee 
ready.  It  was  our  last  "get-together"  as  a  detachment.  We  had  been  together 
during  the  Great  Experience  and  had  formed  associations  that  will  be  life  long 
— "the  old  fighting  Second."  From  this  morning  on  the  story  merges  again  to  the 
story  of  the  Company  as  a  whole- 

Recourt. 

At  Vigneulles  in  front  of  the  Chateau  that  had  been  Regimental  Headquar- 
ters, trucks  from  the  28th  Division  were  waiting  to  take  the  Regiment  back  from 
the  front  line  positions.  After  a  deal  of  trouble  in  loading,  the  truck  train  pulled 
out.  Back  through  Heudicourt  to  Apremont  we  went.  At  Apremont  had  been 
the  Supply  Company  and  Band  in  Echelon.  We  halted  there  some  time  while 
the  caissons  were  fastened  onto  the  rear  of  the  trucks.  Since  our  first  sight  of 
the  town  the  walls  had  been  dynamited  until  practically  the  entire  place  was  a 
heap  of  stones.  Infantry  troops  walking  back  from  the  front  filled  the  roads 
continually. 

From  Apremont  we  rode  in  the  gathering  darkness  toward  St.  Mihiel  but 
could  see  the  battlefields  of  that  first  German  rush  in  1914  and  the  signs  of  the 


THELIAISON  53 

subsequent  stuggle.  It  was  dark  when  we  went  through  the  great  arch  into  St. 
Mihiel  and  on  to  the  Bois  de  Meuse  camp  near  Recourt,  which  we  reached  about 
9:00  o'clock.  Material  was  parked  off  the  road,  horses  were  cared  for  and  then 
we  found  billets  for  ourselves  in  the  woods.  The  buildings  could  not  nearly 
accommodate  the  outfit  and  many  slept  under  the  stars- 

The  next  few  days  a  readjustment  was  made  and  the  Regiment  settled  down 
to  what  proved  to  be  a  lengthy  stay.  In  this  camp  the  Army  Rumor  came  into 
its  own  again.  Each  day  had  a  new  story  of  what  was  to  happen  and  each  suc- 
ceeding day  found  us  still  encamped. 

A  series  of  apres  le  guerre  problems  as  a  Regiment  were  worked  out  to  occupy 
time.     Notably  one  to  the  Argonne  sector  at  Brabant  north  of  Verdun. 

The  camp  was  improved,  as  usual  with  the  134th.  Passes  to  nearby  towns, 
such  as  Bar  le  Due  and  Nancy  were  issued.  One  party  of  six  spent  Christmas 
week  at  the  recreation  center  at  Aix  le  Bains.  Another  group  went  on  furlough 
to  \'al-les-Bain>;,  another  recreation  center. 

To  Aix  Les  Bains  on  Furi.o. 

It  was  on  Monday  evening,  December  15th,  (1918,  at  Camp  ]\Iariaux,  that 
Sergeant  "Gil"'  called  six  of  us — Sergeants  Bullard,  Clinton,  and  Points,  Cor- 
porals Cogar,  AlcA^■oy,  and  Miller,  into  his  office  and  informed  us  that,  as  we 
had  had  no  furlough  in  the  States,  we  had  first  chance  to  take  a  trip  for  seven 
days,  not  inclusive  of  traveling  time  going  and  coming.  Of  course,  being  either 
at  the  front  or  back  in  the  woods  ever  since  coming  up  from  Camp  de  Souge, 
we  did  not  know  very  much  about  this  place  called  Aix  les  Bains,  but  we  de- 
cided to  take  a  chance  on  anything  to  get  out  of  the  mud  for  a  while.  The 
order  read,  "leave  at  midnight."  Now  this  seemed  a  funny  time  to  start  on  a 
picnic,  but  we  were  willing  to  put  up  with  anything.  Then  came  polishing  shoes, 
tan  if  possible,  (and  if  you  don't  have  tan,  borrow)  cleaning  and  pressing  the 
best  uniforms  and  at  8:00  p.  m.  we  were  all  set  to  go.  At  10:00  p.  m.  an  order 
came  down  setting  the  time  forward  till  the  next  midnight.  Well,  we  didn't 
care  as  it  was  raining  anyway. 

Wednesday  evening  finally  came  and  at  midnight  we  were  ofif.  along  with 
fifty-eight  others  from  our  own  Regiment,  in  trucks  from  the  ammunition  train. 
It  was  a  beautiful,  clear  night  with  a  full  moon  and  aside  from  the  muddy  roads 
it  was  nice  traveling.  W'e  arrived  in  St.  Mihiel  at  2:00  a.  m..  at  what  was  at 
one  time  the  station.  Our  train  was  due  to  start  at  4 :00  a.  m.  Men  from 
other  Regiments  were  here  and  with  them  we  made  up  the  train.  It  had  turned 
cold  and  started  to  rain.  Time  was  getting  on  our  nerves,  but  still  we  thought 
that  we  would  get  away  on  time.  We  did  not  figure  on  the  Frog  schedule  and 
it  was  10 :30  before  she  steamed  in  on  three  legs.  We  loaded  and  started  on  our 
way  at  once.  Our  six  fellows  got  together  in  the  same  compartment,  a  third 
class  one  with  three  windows  out.  We  arrived  at  Commercy  at  1 :30  p.  m., 
stopping  about  fifteen  minutes;  Toul  at  3:30;  Frouard  at  4:00,  where  we  took  on 
six  hundred  more  men  from  the  Sixth  Corps ;  and  on  a  siding  at  Nancy  at  6 :00 
p.  m.  We  stayed  there  over  night,  having  the  preference  of  sleeping  in  the 
train  or  going  to  the  city. 


54  THELIAISON 

At  9:30  in  the  morning  we  were  formed  into  squads  and  marched  to  the 
big  bath  house  that  is  used  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  We  had  lunch  at  noon  and  were 
given  any  new  clothes  that  we  needed  and  then  came  the  bath.  A  large  build- 
ing has  been  put  up  over  an  old  Roman  bath  pool.  The  dressing  rooms  are 
built  into  the  walls  and  one  can  jump  out  of  them  into  the  pool.  The  water 
comes  warm  from  natural  springs.  After  having  all  the  sport  we  wished  we  went 
back  to  thf;  town  till  5  :30  when  we  again  started  on  our  way. 

By  a  little  luck  we  were  put  in  a  more  comfortable  compartment.  The  only 
way  we  got  any  sleep  was  to  get  it  sitting  up  or  lying  down  on  some  other  fellow's 
shoulder.  Morning  finally  came  and  so  did  soreness  and  stiffness.  It  still  rained, 
later  turning  to  snow. 

Toward  afternoon  we  were  nearing  our  destination,  but  it  seemed  that  our 
train  went  on  a  side  track  for  everything  that  came  along  on  wheels.  We  passed 
through  Emay,  Rossilon  and  Culoz,  a  pretty  little  city  on  the  mountain  side,  with 
quite  a  number  of  manufacturing  buildings  dotted  here  and  there.  As  we  neared 
Aix  les  Bains  we  passed  numerous  waterfalls,  and  mountain  streams  running 
everywhere. 

At  4 :00  p.  m.  we  arrived  at  Aix  les  Bains  in  the  rain,  were  unloaded  and 
marched  to  the  central  part  of  the  city.  Each  man  passed  through  the  gate  at 
the  "check  in,"  as  they  call  it,  and  was  assigned  to  his  hotel.  W^e  six  were  sent 
to  the  Villa  Bonna  and  a  fine  place  it  was.  The  first  thing  that  you  notice,  of 
course,  is  the  fine  rooms  to  which  you  are  sent- — electric  lights,  running  water. 
Napoleon  beds — a^ou  think  that  you  are  back  home  in  the  U.  S.  A.  again — quite 
a  contrast  to  the  muddy  and  dirty  camps.  Eating  is  one  of  the  big  things  of  the 
trip  and  its  up  to  you  to  get  your  fill.  ■  None  had  to  be  coaxed. 

On  arising  in  the  morning  you  are  surprised  to  see  the  great  snow-covered 
Alps.  Right  behind  your  house  they  seem,  stretching  away  out  of  sight  into  the 
clouds.  Aix  les  Bains  is  a  famous  watering  place  in  a  valley  along  the  French 
Alps.  Not  far  from  the  Italian  border,  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Revard,  it  lies  a  short 
distance  from  Lake  Bourget,  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  lake  in  France. 

The  biggest  attraction  is  the  Casino,  used  by  the  "Y",  built  in  1912  by  some 
of  the  French  "higher  ups"  as  a  center  for  sports  and  amusements.  There  is 
the  ball  room,  motion  picture  room,  theater,  which  seats  about  three  thousand, 
reading  and  writing  room,  canteen  and  lunch  room,  and  pool  and  billiard  room. 
All  is  free  for  the  soldiers  except  the  eats  and  you  get  so  much  at  your  hotel  you 
just  sort  of  piece-meal  here.  The  buildings  are  wonderfully  decorated  and 
thousands  of  lights  shine  from  the  ceilings  and  walls. 

Next  in  attraction  is  Mt.  Revard,  5,300  feet  above  sea  level.  We  had  great 
sport  sliding  down  the  slopes  on  skiis  and  sleds.  Then  there  is  the  old  Roman 
bath,  running  hot  water  all  the  time,  a  fine  stone  building  over  it,  where,  before 
the  war  people  came  to  get  their  "rheumatics"  loosened  up  a  bit :  the  old  Roman 
gate,  built  centuries  ago ;  the  Gorges  which  by  the  way  are  not  as  beautiful  as  our 
own  Niagara  Falls ;  a  trip  across  the  lake  and  up  the  mountain  to  visit  the  old 
Abbey,  in  use  years  and  years  ago;  and  Hannibal's  pass  just  across  the  lake 
where  you  can  see  Mt.  Blanc  from  the  Cat's  Tooth. 


THE     LIAISON  55 

Chambley  is  a  short  distance  by  rail,  a  larger  city  than  Aix  and  very  pretty, 
with  many  large  buildings  and  stores.  Here  is  the  Fountain  of  the  Elephants, 
also  the  great  picture,  "Nero  and  the  Chariot  Race,"  which  is  valued  very  highly 
by  the  French. 

After  you  have  wandered  from  place  to  place,  seeing  all  the  sights  each  day, 
going  to  the  "  )l"  in  the  evening,  to  vaudeville  shows,  such  as  we  see  in  the  States, 
eating  all  you  want  and  lying  in  bed  till  you  want  to  get  up,  its  hard  to  start  back 
to  camp  again  when  your  seven  days  are  up.  Ours  ended  on  Saturday,  December 
28th.  We  loaded  in  our  special  train  at  8:30  p.  m.  and  again  came  the  agony 
of  riding  on  the  French  trains. 

We  arrived  at  Echiteul  at  11 :00  a.  m.,  on  the  29th,  laid  over  on  a  side  track 
for  twelve  hours,  and  then  started  on  our  way  to  camp.  Arriving  at  St.  Mihiel 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  31st  we  waited  for  the  trucks  to  take  us  to  camp.  W^e 
got  there  at  6:30  wet  and  hungry,  but  a  happy  bunch,  ending  one  of  the  best  trips 
of  our  lives. 

"Oh,  Lord   Ain't  it  awful !" 

THE  GOING  AND  COMING  OF  THE  "16." 
Vals  Les  Bains. 

Sometime  during  the  infancy  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  some  one  at  the  rather  mythical 
place  known  as  G.  H.  Q.,  conceived  the  idea  of  giving  the  American  "soldats" 
overseas  the  privilege  of  enjoying  a  seven-day  furlo  from  their  various  organ- 
izations after  a  period  of  four  months'  service  overseas.  The  idea  grew  into  a 
reality,  and  certain  French  watering  places  and  resorts  were  leased  by  the  Gov- 
ernment for  this  purpose. 

During  the  course  of  events  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the  morning  of  January 
12th,  1919,  sixteen  men  from  the  Headquarters  Company  of  the  134th  Field 
Artillery  left  their  organization  to  visit  one  of  these  aforementioned  leave  areas, 
namely.  La  Bourboule. 

They  made  the  trip  to  St.  Mihiel  in  motor  trucks,  there  getting  on  a  leave 
train  composed  of  captured  German  passenger  coaches,  and  after  intermittent 
spasms  of  starting  and  stopping,  covered  the  first  lap  of  the  journey  and  stopped 
at  Nancy. 

Here  they  were  to  go  through  the  process  of  de-cootie-ization,  receive  clean 
clothes  and  proceed  with  the  journey,  but  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  day  it  was 
decided  that  this  must  be  postponed  until  the  following  morning.  Overhearing  a 
conversation  between  the  officers  in  charge  of  the  train,  in  regard  to  calling  the 
men  together  and  announcing  to  them  that  they  would  have  to  remain  in  the 
coaches  all  night  and  not  be  allowed  the  privileges  of  the  city,  one  of  the  "16," 
wdio  had  visions  of  steak  and  pomme  de  terre,  and  a  nice,  comfortable  bed  in  a 
hotel,  hastened  with  the  awful  news  to  his  comrades.  They,  being  dutiful  sol- 
diers and  not  wishing  to  disobey  any  orders  issued  to  them,  promptly  got  lost  from 
the  train  and  wandered  around  until  they  found  themselves  in  the  heart  of  Nancy. 
Having  heard  no  orders  read  forbidding  them  the  city,  they  had  no  troubled  con- 
sciences and  proceeded  to  fulfill  aforesaid  visions  in  reality. 


56  THELIAISON 

They  assembled  in  the  morning  and  proceeded  to  the  Nancy  Thermal  Baths, 
where  they  received  clean  clothes  throughout  from  the  Government,  hot  choc- 
olate, cakes,  bread  and  jam  from  the  '*Y,"  and  a  bath.  This  latter  was  taken  in 
an  immense  swimming  pool,  250  x  100  feet,  into  which  an  eight-inch  stream  of 
water,  heated  by  Mother  Nature,  flows  continually. 

The  valiant  "16"  came  from  the  bath,  which  for  months  before,  had  been 
but  a  word  in  the  English  language,  and  one  seldom  used  at  that,  and  appeared 
none  the  worse  for  the  immersion.     In  fact  they  looked  a  whole  lot  better  for  it. 

While  waiting  for  the  time  to  go  back  to  the  train,  a  rumor  started  'round 
to  the  effect  that  their  place  of  destination  had  been  changed,  and  that  they  were 
now  to  go  to  Vals  les  Bains.  This  rumor  turned  out,  as  rumors  seldom  do,  to  be 
true,  and  there  was  much  speculation  as  to  the  reason  for  the  change,  and  whether 
it  would  be  a  better  place  or  not.  This  debate  lasted  until  time  for  them  to  pro- 
ceed back  to  the  train  they  had  left  so  unceremoniously  the  night  before.  After 
lying  in  the  yards  for  a  long  time  it  finally  pulled  out.  During  the  rest  of  the 
trip  down  they  passed  through  the  towns  of  Epinal,  Besancon,  Bourg  en  Breese, 
V^alence  and  Alontelimar,  arriving  at  \  als  les  Hains  on  the  morning  of  the  15th. 
After  the  routine  of  having  their  passes  stamped  by  the  A.  P.  M.  (Assistant 
Provost  Marshal)  and  being  assigned  and  guided  to  their  respective  hotels,  they 
went  forth  to  view  the  terrain. 

Vals  les  Bains,  or  ''The  Vale  of  Many  Fountains,"  is  situated  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Ardeche,  and  has  a  population  of  above  five  thousand.  The  Civennes 
Mountains  cross  the  Ardeche  Department  from  east  to  west.  Vals  is  situated  on 
the  southern  slopes  of  these  mountains  and  has  an  elevation  of  800  feet  above 
sea  level,  the  peaks  of  the  surrounding  mountains  rising  to  a  height  of  between 
five  and  six  thousand  feet. 

The  stone  roads  and  vineyards  which  cover  the  hills  of  Ardeche  have  been 
more  than  two  thousand  years  in  the  building.  The  Romans  laid  the  founda- 
tions for  the  wonderful  system  of  roads  which  now  covers  this  country  like  a  net 
work  from  the  largest  cities  to  the  smallest  village  on  the  mountain  tops.  On  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Ardeche  River,  a  few  miles  below  Vals  is  the  site  of  a  Roman 
camp  occupied  by  Caesar  and  his  legions  during  the  latter  years  of  the  Gallic 
wars.  It  does  not  require  a  student  of  history  to  tramp  the  hills  and  valleys  of 
Ardeche  with  their  buildings,  ancient  and  modern,  their  roads  and  vineyards, 
houses  and  implements  of  labor,  to  read  the  history  of  more  than  twenty  centuries. 

It  was  in  this  section  of  the  country  that  the  Huguenots  made  their  last  stand ; 
here  that  the  revolt  of  Roure,  in  the  time  of  Louis  XTV.,  foreshadowed  the  French 
Revolution,  when  the  guillotine  avenged  his  cruel  death  upon  the  wheel,  and  his 
bleeding  head  was  hanged  above  the  gate  of  Aubenas. 

It  does  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  many,  as  it  did  to  the  "16,"  to  view  the  world 
renowned  "Carriere  de  Ruoms,"'  or  Quarry  of  Ruoms,  where  were  quarried  the 
foundations  of  France's  beautiful  gift  to  us,  the  Statue  of  Liberty.  The  Quarry 
is  situated  twenty-five  kilometers  south  of  Vals  on  the  way  to  Pont  d'Arc,  the 
famous  natural  stone  bridge. 


THELIAISON  57 

There  are  in  V^als  and  its  vicinity,  more  than  three  hundred  medicinal  springs. 
In  Vals  alone  there  are  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  of  these  springs.  Among 
the  chief  industries  of  Vals  is  the  making  of  bottles  and  the  bottling  of  these 
waters,  which  find  market  throughout  France  and  England  mostly,  although  they 
are  known  to  the  markets  of  the  world ;  the  manufacture  of  an  artificial  silk  cloth 
the  cultivation  of  the  silk  worm  and  weaving  of  pure  silk ;  but  the  most  im- 
portant industries  are  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  the  care  of  the  vineyards. 

Vals  is  a  world-famed  pleasure  resort.  Health  and  pleasure  seekers  from 
the  entire  world  have  visited  the  Baths  and  been  relieved  of  their  francs  at  the 
Casino.  The  Casino,  built  in  1898,  a  magnificent  structure  furnished  with  every 
luxury  known  at  that  time,  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  park  of  sycamore  trees,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Volane  River.  Before  the  war,  popular  operas  were  to  be 
heard  in  the  theater.  There  was  greater  enchantment  at  night,  though,  than  the 
music,  for  throngs  were  attracted  to  the  brilliantly-lighted  gaming  parlors.  On 
the  upper  floors,  Bacarat  held  supreme  sway,  while  Roulette  rivalled  it  on  the 
lower  floors.  Both  of  these  games  collected  heavy  toll  from  the  players,  and 
many  a  pleasure  seeker  left  poorer  but  maybe  wiser.  Since  the  war  ended  and 
the  Government  has  taken  over  the  place  as  a  leave  area,  the  Casino  has  been 
changed  into  a  Y.  jVI.  C.  A. 

Here  the  soldiers  find  a  club  house,  convenient,  magnificent  and  luxurious, 
where  there  is  writing  material,  books,  magazines,  papers,  and  on  the  lower  floor 
a  "wet"  canteen,  wet  as  coffee,  tea,  and  chocolate  can  make  it,  and  where  cakes, 
bread  and  jam  can  be  procured.  Downstairs  in  the  "Grotto"  there  is  a  dry  can- 
teen where  cigars,  cigarettes,  and  so  forth  are  for  sale.  This  "Grotto"  was  at 
one  time  a  natural  cave,  but  the  management,  seeing  its  possibilities,  added  a  few 
improvements  in  the  way  of  heat,  light,  and  comfortable  chairs  and  made  it  into 
a  smoking  and  lounging  room.  Billiards,  table  games,  pianos,  and  victrolas  help 
pass  the  hours  not  otherwise  taken  up.  At  night,  movies  and  vaudeville  are  to 
be  seen  at  the  theater.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  also  provides  guides  to  conduct  hikes  to 
points  of  interest  in  the  locality,  and  Ardeche  has  many. 

The  town  of  Vals  can  be  described  as  a  "City  of  Hotels,"  built  on  two 
streets,  one  on  either  side  of  the  Volane  River,  that  being  all  the  room  available 
between  the  abrupt  slopes  of  the  hills  and  the  river,  and  extending  up  and  down 
the  valley  for  a  distance  of  about  three  miles. 

The  town  itself  offered  very  little  in  the  form  of  amusement,  other  than  to 
those  who  wished  to  reform  their  friendship  with  the  Vin  Sisters,  whom  they  met 
shortly  after  they  landed  in  France,  but  whose  acquaintance  they  did  not  have  a 
chance  to  cultivate  before  they  left  for  the  Front.  However,  towns  in  the  near 
\icinity  afforded  amusements  in  various  forms.  The  men  on  leave  could  enjoy 
these  if  they  cared  to  visit  them,  and  needless  to  say,  they  all  did,  for  there  is  no 
one  more  curious  than  a  Yank.    He  wants  to  see  all  that  there  is  to  be  seen. 

On  the  26th.  the  "16,"  having  been  somewhat  scattered  about,  each  seeking 
pleasure  in  the  form  that  he  liked  best  and  with  his  particular  pal  or  pals,  again 
assembled  in  front  of  the  A.  P.  M.  to  check  out.  Although  they  were  rather 
destitute  when  it  came  to  francs,  they  were  still  in  high  spirits  for  they  had  been 


58  THELIAISON 

soaking  up  rumors,  during  the  last  few  days  of  their  leave,  to  the  effect  that  the 
old  outfit  was  to  "parti  tout  suite  pour  le  Etat  Unis." 

At  the  A.  P.  M.  they  made  the  painful  discovery  that  the  return  trip  was  to 
be  made  in  box  cars.  The  old  stuff,  40  Hommes  and  8  Chevaux,  over  again. 
That  trip  will  remain  long  in  the  memories  of  the  "16,"  and  caused  many  avowals 
that  "the  next  time  I  go  on  a  leave  I'll  stay  at  home."  But  the  trip  was  finally 
accomplished,  the  route  being  somewhat  different  than  on  the  way  down,  and 
affording  a  little  more  of  interest  to  the  travelers.  It  seems  that  in  France  there 
is  quite  a  family  of  Vins  and  the  engineer  and  fireman  must  have  had  a  speaking 
acquaintance  with  every  one  of  them  for  they  stopped  to  pass  the  time  of  day 
with  each  one  along  the  right  of  way,  much  to  the  displeasure  of  the  "16,"  they 
being  unable  to  accompany  the  engineer  and  fireman  for  the  reason  that  the  Vin 
Sisters  frown  on  those  who  are  franc-less. 

Arriving  at  St.  Mihiel  they  were  "sardined"  into  Quads  and  taken  back  to 
their  outfits,  where  the  different  billets  rang  with,  "Now,  down  in  Vals — "  and 
"When  I  was  in  Aubenas  that  time — ,"  for  days  and  undoubtedly  will  in  days 
to  come. 

We  Write  History. 

It  was  during  this  period  in  the  Recourt  woods  that  the  idea  developed  of 
writing  a  history  of  the  Company.  Many  interesting  and  already  reminiscent 
hours  were  spent  working  on  it  by  a  number  of  the  outfit. 

A  Y.  M.  C.  A.  man,  Mr.  Colby,  came  to  the  Regiment  and  did  us  great 
service  in  getting  supplies  to  us.  The  old-time  Sheridan  Minstrel  Troupe  was  re- 
organized and  toured  a  large  circuit  very  successfully. 

When  we  were  paid  on  January  8,  1919,  we  used  little  black-covered  Pay 
Books  for  the  first  time.  These  we  kept  and  presented  each  pay-day  until  we 
turned  them  in  on  March  31st  at  Camp  Stuart,  Virginia,  when  we  received  our 
first  home-coming  pay  in  regular  greenbacks  again. 

Recourt  to  Brest. 

Finally  things  began  to  stir  in  the  woods  camp.  Sergeant  Ringo  came  back 
to  the  outfit  from  the  Motor  School  on  January  10th  and  Corporal  Cooper  re- 
turned from  the  hospital  on  the  12th. 

Shortly  after  the  middle  of  January  the  material  was  collected  and  checked 
in.  On  January  23rd  all  material  was  turned  in.  Details  went  to  several  nearby 
railroad  towns  with  this  equipment,  most  of  which  was  destined  for  Toul. 

On  January  27th  the  Division  passed  under  the  control  of  the  S.  O.  S.  (Serv- 
ice of  Supply).  It  was  this  branch  of  the  American  Army  that  controlled  the 
homeward  movement  of  troops.  So  this  date  turned  our  faces  westward  in 
earnest. 

Possibly  in  jubilation  of  this  new  phase  of  our  experience,  "an  angry  mob  of 
Bolsheviki"  on  the  night  of  January  30th  played  havoc  with  the  army  moustaches 
of  the  outfit. 

Moving  orders  found  us  on  the  alert,  and  on  Tuesday  morning,  February 
4tli,  1919,  at  10  o'clock,  the  Regiment  left  Camp  Mariaux.    We  marched  full-pack 


THELIAISON  '  59 

from  Recourt  to  Tilly,  on  through  Boquemont  and  Woimbey  to  Bannoncourt, 
which  we  reached  at  1 :  30  p.m.  At  5  :  30  p.m.  we  had  entrained  in  box-cars  and 
started  south.  After  a  night  of  many  stops  we  found  ourselves  early  Wednes- 
day morning  at  Pagny-sur-Meuse.  By  7 :  30  a.m.  we  were  at  Neuchateau.  Here 
the  train  stopped  for  several  hours  and  we  visited  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Red  Cross. 
At  noon  we  pulled  out.  On  through  Andelot  we  went  to  Bologne,  where  we 
stopped  long  enough  for  the  cooks  to  serve  coffee. 

When  we  woke  the  next  morning  we  were  at  St.  Florentine.  This  day  we 
went  through  Moneteau,  Auxerre,  Clamecy,  Cosne,  and  Bourges.  Friday  morn- 
ing we  found  ourselves  at  St.  Martin  le  Beau.  Traveling  at  good  speed  all  day, 
we  covered  ground  fast,  passed  through  the  outskirts  of  Tours,  through  Savon- 
ierres,  Saumur,  and  by  3  p.  m.  were  in  the  depot  at  Angers.  Only  a  momentary 
stop  was  made  here  and  then  we  went  north  to  Segre,  where  we  were  side-tracked 
for  the  night.  The  next  morning  we  left  Segre  and  by  noon  pulled  into  Le  Lion 
d'Angers,  Saturday,  February  8th,  1919.  Here  we  detrained  in  the  sunshine  of  a 
beautiful  day  in  this  fine  old  French  town.  Headquarters  found  their  alloted 
billet  to  be  the  servants'  quarters  and  barn  of  a  chateau  in  the  town,  and  we  were 
soon  settled.  Then  came  acquaintance-making  and  souvenir-buying.  The  towns- 
people proved  to  be  of  a  better  class  of  French  than  we  had  ever  been  near  and 
they  were  very  friendly.  Our  stay  with  them  was  marked  from  first  to  last  with 
mutual  and  cordial  respect  and  interest. 

A  month  in  such  surroundings  passed  quickly  and  was  speeded  toward  the 
end  with  beaucoup  inspections.  The  Company  was  de-coot ie-ized  at  Angers  on 
February  24th.  New  clothes  were  issued,  dismounted  packs  issued  to  every  one, 
physical  and  clothing  inspections  were  passed,  and  we  were  ready  to  go. 

Amusement  was  scarce  in  Le  Lion.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  under  the  leadership 
of  Mr.  Stimpson,  an  old  friend  from  Y59  at  Sheridan,  opened  a  canteen,  reading 
room  and  chocolate  shop.  One  night  the  Company  entertained  itself  with  a 
Great  Trial  before  the  High  Court  of  Kangaroo.    This  was  Saturday,  Feb.  23rd. 

First  call  came  at  4  a.m.  on  Friday,  March  7th.  After  breakfast  we  emptied 
ticks,  cleaned  billets,  loaded  packs  on  trucks  and  at  7  a.m.  marched  out  of  town. 
The  Regiment  assembled  on  the  road  just  outside  of  town,  started  the  march  at 
8  a.m.  and  after  a  very  enjoyable  hike,  marched  through  Chateau  Gontier  at 
12:45  p.m..  headed  by  the  Band.     The  populace  was  out  to — hear  the  Band. 

We  got  our  packs  at  the  depot,  were  assigned  to  the  box-cars,  which  were 
American  made,  and  then  some  Y  ladies  served  hot  chocolate.  Soon  after,  the  Y 
men  came  along  with  cigarettes.  Iron  rations  were  issued  to  each  car  and  at 
3 :  50  p.m.  we  pulled  out.  At  Laval  we  stopped  long  enough  to  get  a  hot  meal 
from  the  cook  car  attached  to  the  train. 

In  the  morning  we  crawled  out  of  the  hay  to  find  ourselves  at  Brest,  within 
sight  of  the  harbor.  After  unloading  we  had  breakfast  at  a  huge  mess-hall  run 
by  a  colored  American  outfit.  After  breakfast  we  slung  our  packs  and  marched 
up  the  steep  cobble-stoned  street,  through  Brest  and  down-hill  out  of  the  town. 
Then  up  another  hill  and  into  Camp  Pontenezan.     Here  we  found  a  great  camp 


60  THE     LIAISON 

laid  out — board  walks,  pyramidal  tents,  great  mess-halls,  etc.  The  barracks  of 
Napoleon  II  are  here  and  some  say  Cnesar  billeted  his  men  on  this  site  in  one  of 
his  campaigns. 

Spring  cots  and  two  extra  blankets  were  "hard  to  take."  Supper  was  an 
experience,  an  apparent  confusion,  but  really  the  working  of  a  splendid  system. 
Long  lines  of  men  were  served  at  many  serving  tables  or  galleys,  going  on 
through  to  the  mess-hall  by  way  of  lanes  railed  off  on  either  side,  eating  at  long, 
narrow,  corrugated  iron  tables  that  were  breast  high,  then  on  through  more 
wooden  lanes  to  hot  mess-kit  water,  and  out  again  into  the  camp  grounds — a  won- 
derful system  of  feeding.  A  count  was  made  while  we  were  here  in  camp  and 
eight  thousand  men  were  fed  in  forty-one  minutes  in  this  one  mess-hall.  Every 
man  had  all  the  time  he  wanted  in  which  to  eat,  as  the  eating  hall  was  amply 
sized  to  give  everybody  room. 

On  Monday,  March  10th,  the  Company  had  a  passenger  list  formation.  In 
the  afternoon  we  marched  to  a  large  delousing  and  laundry  plant  nearby  for 
physical  and  cootie  inspection.  The  same  night  several  hundred  non-coms,  and 
men  answered  a  camp  call  for  working  details.  Some  of  the  fellows  worked  all 
night,  others  were  sent  back  to  the  regimental  camp. 

After  dinner  the  next  day  we  hurriedly  made  our  packs,  hurried  with  them 
over  to  a  big  building  next  to  the  one  we  were  in  the  day  before,  went  through 
a  hurry-up,  show-down  equipment  inspection,  hurried  so  fast  to  put  the  packs 
together  again  that  everybody  was  sweating  when  they  came  out,  hurried  back 
to  camp  to  be  looked  over  individually  and  criticized  on  appearance  by  the  Captain. 

Our  francs  were  changed  to  real  American  money  just  before  supper.  Orders 
came,  also,  to  move  the  next  morning.  W'e  were  up  at  four,  accordingly,  for  an 
early  breakfast.  We  started  out  at  seven  but  once  on  the  main  camp  street  we 
were  turned  back.  The  hold-up  was  only  temporary  and  at  9  :30  a.m.,  we  were  on 
our  way  to  the  dock,  tlere  the  Red  Cross  ladies  gave  us  each  a  pair  of  sox  filled 
with  a  regular  Christmas  layout  of  chocolate,  cakes,  tobacco,  cards,  gum,  jam,  etc. 

A  Trip  in  a  Bk.  Battleship. 

At  12:20  p.m.  we  left  the  dock  on  the  ferry-l)oat  and  started  out  into  the 
harbor  to  the  U.  S.  S.  New  Hampshire.  It  surely  looked  good  to  us  to  see  the 
voung  American  sailors  and  they  were  eager  to  give  us  welcome.  We  crossed 
the  gang-plank  onto  the  deck  of  the  battleship,  were  each  given  a  tag  showing  our 
assignment  to  compartment,  billet,  and  mess,  wound  around  the  deck,  inside  and 
downstairs  to  find  our  quarters  in  a  fine  spick-and-span  corridor.  We  took  our 
toilet  kits  out  of  the  packs,  also  blankets  and  canteens.  Then  the  packs  were 
stored  in  the  lower  part  of  the  ship.  The  ship's  band  played  a  concert.  We  were 
soon  getting  acquainted  with  the  "gobs,"  and  found  them  mighty  fine  boys.  At 
3  p.m.  we  were  under  way,  steaming  out  of  the  harbor. 

We  were  twelve  days  on  board — days  full  of  acquaintance-making,  sight- 
seeing and  good  eating.  The  crew  were  as  fine  a  bunch  of  fellows  as  ever  got 
together  and  all  did  their  utmost  to  make  us  feel  that  our  real  home-coming 
started  the  day  we  set  foot  on  the  deck  of  the  New  Hampshire.     We  were  priv- 


THE     LIAISON  61 

ileged  to  poke  around  different  parts  of  the  ship,  and  to  most  of  us  this  was  a 
novel  and  welcome  experience. 

Good  weather  kept  up  all  the  way  with  the  exception  of  two  spells  of  rather 
stormy  weather.     But  there  was  remarkahly  little  seasickness  on  this  trip. 

Monday  morning,  March  23rd.  we  sighted  land  and  were  soon  close  in- 
shore. At  1 :  10  p.m.  we  docked  at  C.  &  O.  Pier  No.  5,  Newport  News,  Virginia. 
After  a  reluctant  and  yet  jubilant  farewell  to  the  boys  of  the  crew,  we  went  down 
the  gang-plank  into  the  ever-ready  arms  of  the  Red  Cross  and  some  home  folks 
from  Ohio.  The  ladies  this  time  gave  us  chocolate,  a  big  cookie,  and  a  pack  of 
^'Camels." 

Then  with  the  Band  playing,  colors  flying  and  displaying  the  service  ribbons 
of  the  Marbache  and  Thiaucourt  Sectors,  received  at  Brest,  we  marched  through 
Newport  News  to  Camp  Stuart.  Our  packs  were  light  for  some  reason.  The 
sight  of  real  American  people  once  more  made  us  feel  at  home  at  once.  At  the 
camp  we  found  barracks  and  spring  beds,  and  in  the  canteens  the  PIE  counter! 

We  were  at  Camp  Stuart  until  Tuesday,  April  1st.  After  another  delousing, 
clothing,  and  great  activity  in  the  camp  pressing  establishment,  we  boarded  a 
train  of  honest-to-goodness  American  SLEEPERS  (Au  Revoir,  Box  Cars!) 
and  were  off  for  home  at  10  a.m.  At  12:20  p.m.  we  pulled  into  Richmond.  Here 
we  stopped,  got  off.  and  filed  into  the  depot  where  the  Red  Cross  ladies  served 
cookies,  chocolate,  and  coffee.  Pies  were  bought  right  and  left  from  venders. 
After  we  got  back  on  the  train  the  cooks  served  hot  beans,  jam.  peaches,  and 
bread.  It's  a  good  army  now.  At  4 :  30  p.m.  we  passed  through  the  Marines' 
Training  Camp  at  Paris  Island,  Quantico,  Virginia,  and  at  5:15  were  passing 
through  Washington,  D.  C.  We  stopped  at  the  Ked  Cross  station,  where  we  had 
stopped  on  our  way  to  Upton,  but  only  long  enough  to  change  engines. 

After  a  night  on  the  "hard  cushions"  of  the  sleepers,  Wednesday  we  passed 
through  Pittsburgh.  Youngstown,  Ravenna,  Kent,  Old  Forge  at  Akron,  and  into 
Cleveland  at  2  p.m.  We  were  given  our  liberty  as  soon  as  the  train  was  parked, 
and  we  were  soon  busy  in  the  barber  shops.  The  next  morning  the  Battalion 
]3araded  in  Cleveland.  There  was  much  enthusiasm  among  the  great  crowds. 
After  the  parade  a  dinner  was  served  to  all  the  men,  but  the  Akron  and  Canton 
boys  went  home  at  once  on  the  interurban  cars.  The  train  pulled  down  to  Akron 
in  the  evening  and  paraded  again  there  on  Friday  morning.  After  the  parade 
another  dinner  was  served  the  men  in  the  Armory.  That  night  at  11  p.m.,  the 
train  left  Akron  for  Columbus,  where  a  third  and  the  largest  parade  was  held  on 
Saturday  morning.  After  lunch  in  the  Capitol  and  an  afternoon  in  the  city  we  left 
for  Camp  Sherman. 

Early  Sunday  morning  we  detrained  and  were  inspected  at  once  by  the  camp 
doctors.  Then  we  marched  to  Barracks  No.  Kll  and  settled  down.  In  the  after- 
noon we  marched  to  an  examining  building  and  passed  the  final  physical  exam- 
ination. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  paper  work  to  do  here  and  a  number  of  the  men 
were  pressed  into  service.  Wednesday  night  each  man  received  several  papers, 
including  a  letter  from  General  Pershing. 


62  THELIAISON 

Thursday  we  got  up  at  4  a.m.,  turned  blankets  in,  ate  our  last  army  meal, 
turned  in  our  mess  kits,  cleaned  the  billet  and  marched  to  the  discharge  building. 
At  10  a.m.  we  went  through  the  final  turn  of  the  wheel,  received  our  discharge 
and  our  money.  As  we  came  out  of  the  building,  one  by  one,  and  said  the  final 
farewells  to  the  old  bunch,  Headquarters  automatically  ceased  to  exist.  Then  all 
aboard  for  home  and  "Fini  Armie"  for  us  all. 


37th  Division. 
Division  Headquarters  arrived  in  France,  June  23rd,  1918. 

Activities : 

Baccarat  sector — August  4th  to  Sept.  16th. 
Meuse-Argonne  offensive — Sept.  25th  to  Oct.  1. 
Pannes  (St.  Mihiel  sector)— Oct.  7th  to  Oct.  16th. 
Lys  and  Escant  Rivers  (Flanders) — Oct.  31st  to  Nov.  4th. 
Belgium,  Syngem  sector — Nov.  9th  to  Nov.  11th. 

Prisoners  captured : 

26  officers,  1,469  men. 

Guns: 

29  Artillery  pieces,  263  machine  guns. 

Total  advance  on  front  line: 

30  2/3  kilometers. 

28th  Division. 

National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania. 
Arrived  in  France,  May  18,  1918. 

Activities : 

Sector  southeast  of  Chateau  Thierry  (corps  reserve) — June  30th  to  July  31st. 

(Battle  operations — July  15th  to  18th  and  July  28th  to  30th). 

Vesle  Sector — Aug.  7th  to  Sept.  8th  (Almost  continual  heavy  fighting). 

Argonne-Meuse  offensive — Sept  26  to  Oct.  9. 

Thiaucourt  Sector — Oct.  16  to  Nov.  11. 

Prisoners  captured : 

10  officers,  911  men. 

Guns : 

16  Artillery  pieces,  63  machine  guns. 

Total  advance  on  front  line : 
1.0  kilometers. 


THELIAISON  63 

33rd  Division. 

National  Guard  of  Illinois,  West  Virginia.  . 

Arrived  in  France,  May  24th,  1918. 

Activities : 

Amiens  Sector  (with  Australians) — July  21  to  Aug.  18. 

Verdun  Sector,  Sept.  9th  to  Oct.  17th. 

St.  Mihiel  Sector,  Nov.  7th  to  Nov.  11th. 
Prisoners  captured : 

65  officers,  3,922  men. 

Guns : 

93  Artillery  pieces,  414  machine  guns. 

Total  advance  on  front  line : 

36  kilometers  (made  by  units  of  one  regiment  or  less). 

Headquarters  134th  Field  Artillery,  American   Expeditionary  Forces,  France, 

9    January,    1919. 
Military  record  of  the  late  Captain  Harry  Howard  Hedges,  U.  S.  F.  A.: 

Enlisted  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.,  November  15,  1915.  Discharged  April  11,  1917. 
Commissioned  1st  Lieutenant,  July  11,  1917.  On  detached  service  at  School  of  Fire  for 
Field  Artillery,  Fort  Sill,  Okla..  from  March  30,  1918,  to  May  23,  1918.  Appointed  Captain, 
April  3,  1918.  Commanding  Headquarters  Company,  this  regiment.  Relieved  from  duty 
with  Headquarters  Company  and  appointed  Acting  Regimental  Adjutant,  Sept.  15,  1918. 
Taken  sick  while  the  regiment  was  billeted  at  Laimont,  October  3,  1918.  Died  of  pneumonia 
in  Evacuation  Hospital  No.  16  at  Revigny,  France,  October  16,  1918. 

N.  B. : — Left  for  overseas  with  regiment  June  28,  1918.  Arrived  in  Liverpool,  England, 
July  10,   1918. 

Regimental   Headquarters   Company,    134th   F'ield   Artillery,   American    Expeditionary 

Forces,  France. 

27    January,    1919. 
Memorandum : — 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  Regimental  Memorandum  of  Jan.  27,  1919. 
1.  In  accordance  with  verbal  instructions  from  Headquarters  62nd  Brigade,  the  Brigade 
is  entitled  to  wear  the  37th  Division  insignia.  The  insignia  consists  of  a  white  felt  piece 
of  cloth  2^4  inches  in  diameter  on  which  is  superimposed  concentrically,  a  red  piece  of  felt 
lJ/2  inches  in  diameter.  This  insignia  is  sewn  on  the  left  sleeve  of  the  overcoat  and  blouse, 
the  upper  part  of  the  white  just  touching  the  shoulder  seam  of  the  garment. 

By  Order  of  Colonel  Bush. 
Welton    A.    Snow, 
Capt.    134th    Field    Artillery,    Adjutant. 

Headquarters   164rH   F.  A.   Brigade,   American   Expeditionary  Forces. 

From:     Commanding  General.  13   November,   1918. 

To :     Commanding  General,  62nd  Brigade. 

Subject :     Report  of  Operations  of  134th  Field  Artillery. 

1.  Orders  have  been  received  relieving  the  1.34th  Field  Artillery  from  duty  in  this 
sector  with  the  164th  Field  Artillery  Brigade,  and  directing  its  return  to  its  own  command. 

2.  I  feel  it  only  proper  to  inform  you  that  this  regiment,  during  its  service  in  this 
sector,  has  occupied  its  appropriate  part  of  the  front ;  that  it  has  at  all  times  executed  its 


64  THE     LIAISON 

missions  efficiently  and  with  a  display  of  cheerfulness  and  promptness  that  indicates  a  very 
high  morale  and  state  of  training.  The  regiment  has  been  placed  in  difficult  positions  and 
has  ahva\s  conducted  itself  in  a  way  to  reflect  credit  on  itself,  its  own  brigade  and  the  one 
with  which  at  the  time  being  it  was  serving. 

3.  I  shall  appreciate  it  as  a  favor  to  me  if  you  will  make  such  record  of  this  letter  as 
you  may  desire,  and  then  either  transmit  it  or  make  known  its  contents  to  the  Regimental 
Commander  for  such  use  as  lie  may  desire  to  make  of  it. 

Signed :     Edw.\rd    T.    Donnelly, 

Brigadier    General. 

1st  Ind. 
Commanding  General,  62nd   Field   Artillery  Brigade,  American   E.   F.,  28  December,   1918. 
To   Commanding   Officer,   134th   Field   Artillery : 

1.  The  Commanding  General  takes  great  pleasure  in  transmitting  this  letter  to  the 
Commanding  Officer,  134th  Field  Artillery,  and  desires  at  this  time  to  express  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  same  high  morale  and  efficiency  noted  by  General  Donnelly  of  the  164th  F.  A. 
Brigade,  which  has  been  characteristic  of  this  regiment  throughout  the  period  of  my  com- 
mand of  the  62nd  F.  A.  Brigade. 

Signed :     Edward    Burr. 
Brigadier   General,  U.   S.   A.,  Commanding. 

Order  For  Cess.\tion  of  Fire  11  a.  m.,  November  11,  1918. 
This  is  What  Ended  the  World's  Series  for  the  134th 
At  10:05  a.  m.  on  the  11th  of  November,  1918.  Colonel  Bush  gave  the  following  order 
by  telephone : 

Fire  at  the  rate  of  50  rounds  per  gun  per  hour  until  10:59.  Be  prepared  to  fire  6 
rounds  per  gun   from  10:59  to  10:59:50.     All  fire  ceases  at  10:59:50. 

By  Order  of  Colonel  Bush. 

G.  H.  Q.,  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  France. 

France,    December    19,    1918. 
General  Orders.  No.  232. 

It  is  with  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  its  splendid  accomplishment,  which  will  live  through 
all  history,  that  I  record  in  General  Orders  a  tribute  to  the  victory  of  the  First  Army  in 
the  Meuse-Argonne  battle. 

Tested  and  strengthened  by  the  reduction  of  the  St.  Mihiel  salient,  for  more  than  six 
weeks  you  battered  against  the  pivot  of  the  enemy  line  on  the  western  front.  It  was  a 
position  of  imposing  natural  strength,  stretching  on  both  sides  of  the  Meuse  river  from 
the  bitterly  contested  hills  of  Verdun  to  the  almost  impenetrable  forest  of  the  Argonne ;  :h 
position,  moreover,  fortified  by  four  years  of  labor  designed  to  render  it  impregnable ;  a 
position  held  with  the  fullest  resources  of  the  enemy.  That  position  you  broke  utterly,  and 
thereby  hastened  the  collapse  of   the   enmy's  military  power. 

Soldiers  of  all  the  divisions  engaged  under  the  F"irst,  Third,  and  Fifth  Corps — the  1st, 
2nd,  3rd,  4th,  5th.  7th,  26th,  28th,  29th,  32nd,  33rd,  35th,  37th,  42nd,  77th,  78th,  79th,  80th, 
82nd.  89th,  90th,  and  91st — you  will  be  long  remembered  for  the  stubborn  persistence  of 
your  progress,  your  storming  of  obstinately  defended  machine  gun  nests,  your  penetration, 
yard  by  yard,  of  woods  and  ravines,  your  heroic  resistance  in  the  face  of  counter  attacks 
supported  by  powerful  artillery  fire.  For  more  than  a  month,  from  the  initial  attack  of 
.September  26th,  you  fought  your  way  slowly  through  the  Argonne,  through  the  woods  and 
over  hills  west  of  the  Meuse;  you  slowly  enlarged  your  hold  on  the  Cotes  de  Meuse  to  the 
east;  and  then,  on  the  first  of  November,  your  attack  forced  the  enemy  into  flight. 
Pressing  his  retreat,  you  cleared  the  entire  left  bank  of  the  Meuse  south  of  Sedan,  and 
then  stormed  the  heights  on  the  right  bank  and  drove  him  into  the  plain  beyond. 


THE     LIAISON 


65 


Your  achivement,  which  is  scarcely  to  be  equalled  in  American  history  must  remain 
a  source  oi  proud  satisiaction  to  the  troops  who  participated  in  the  last  campaign  oi  lae 
war.  The  American  people  will  remember  it  as  a  realization  of  the  hitherto  potential 
strength  of  the  American  contribution  toward  the  cause  to  which  they  had  sworn  allegiance. 
There  can  be  no  greater  reward  for  a  soldier  or  tor  a  soldier's  memory. 

JoHX    J.    Pershing, 
General,  Commander  in  Chief  American  Expeditionary   I'orces. 
Official:    Robert  C.  Davis,  Adjutant  General. 


In  Memokiam 

As   we   think   of   all   the   service   flags 

That  fly  o'er  our  broad  States 
For  the  men  who  counted  well  the  cost 

Then  dared  to  brave  the  Fates ; 
The  golden  stars  we  know  of 

Mingle  sorrow  with  our  pride, 
xA.nd  we  pause  in  thots  of  victory 

To  think  of  those  who  died. 


There  are  some  who  died  of  sickness, 

1  here  are  some  in  battle  slain. 
Let  us  see  their  noble  sacrifice 

For  us   was  not  in  vain. 
Let's  make  this   old   world   better 

And  a  finer  place  to  live. 
Thus  honoring  our  comrades  who 

Gave  all  thev  had  to  give. 


D.  V. 


If 

If  you  can  hold  your  head  up  while  the  others 

Are  drooping  theirs  from  marches  and  fatigue ; 
If  you  can  drill  in  dust  that  clouds  and  smothers, 

And  still  be  fit  to  hike  another  league; 
If  you  can  stand  the  greasy  food  and  dishes. 

The  long  black  nights,  the  lonesome  road,  the  blues ; 
If  you  can  choke  back  the  gloomy  wishes 

For  home  that  seem  to  spring  right  from  your  shoes ; 
If  you  can  laugh  at  sick  call  and  the  pill  boys. 

When  all  the  other  lads  are  checking  in ; 
If  you  can  kid  and  jolly  all  the  killjoys. 

Whose  faces  long  ago  forgot  to  grin ; 
If  at  parade  you  stand  fast  at  attention, 

When  every  muscle  shrieks  aloud  v.ith  pain  ; 
If  you  can  grin  and  snicker  at  the  mention 

Of  some  bonehead  play  connected  with  your  name; 
If  you  succeed  to  keep  your  knees  from  knocking. 

At  thots  of  all  the  bullets  you  may  stop ; 
If  you  can  do  these  things  and  like  them. 

You'll   be  a  reg'lar   soldier  yet  old  top. 

D.  H.  W. 


66.  THE     LIAISON 

Little  Wooden  Crosses 

The  little  wooden  crosses 

Upon  a  rock}-  hill, 
There  where  the  Autumn  leaves  drift  down, 

And  all  is  strangely  still, 
The  old,  old  church  that  broods  o'er  them, 

Has  seen  no  fairer  sight 
In  all  the  years,  than  these  who  gave 

Their  jouth  and  life  and  light. 
To  sleep  beneath  the  wooden  cross; 

Yet  sweet  their  rest  must  be. 
Who  made  themselves  a  sacrifice 

That  all  men  might  be  free. 

The  pain  shall  be  to  those  who  wait 

'Cross  ocean  mist  and  foam. 
Who'll  miss  their  face  among  the  ranks 

When  soldier  boys  come  home. 
But  this  shall  be  their  recompense, 

To  lift  the  cross  they  bear; 
These  were  the  gift  a  Nation  gave, 

An  offering  and  a  prajer. 
And  long  as  mortal  tongues  shall  live, 

Until  the  world  grows  old, 
New  beauty  and  new  glory 

Their  memory  shall  enfold. 

Nell  Grayson  Taylor,  U.  S,  A.  N.  C. 

Epic 
A  la  Homer 
We've  done  our  right  front  into  line, 

W^e've  done  squads  east  and  west,  - 

And  then  we've  hoofed  it  double  time 
In  column  four  abreast. 

;•  With  buzzer  and  with  telephone 

We've  shot  our  orders  thru. 
In  wig-wag  and  in  semaphore 
We're   quite    proficient,   too. 

With  pick  and  shovel  we  excell, 
.  •  We're  excavation  fools, — 

We're  Jack-of-all-trade5,  one  and  all, 
We  know  construction  rules. 

We've  gone  thru  all  the  agony 

And  pain  of  monkey  drill ; 
If  we  hadn't  crossed  the  ocean 

We'd  all  be  at  it  still. 

The  Colonel  called  us  Gold-Bricks, 

Said  that  time  was  precious,  rare; 
The  study  of  horology 

We  studied  then  with  care. 


THELIAISON  67 

We  worked  out  all  the  problems 

Involved  in  modern  war; 
When  we  had  them  all  completed, 

Colonel  Bush  would  look  for  more. 

We  perfected  firing  data, 

Site,   deflection,   range,   and   all, 
Road  maps,  panoramic  sketches, — 

We  were  ready  for  the  call. 

Then   that  awful   watchful   waiting 

While  in  our  imagination 
We  killed  more  war-mad  Prussians 

Than  were  in  the  German  nation. 

The   golden    hour   at    last   arrived. 

We  left  the  sunny  South ; 
We  were  going  to  get  the  Kaiser, 

1  here  were  cheers  from  every  mouth. 

We  crossed  the  mighty  ocean, 

Almost  died  upon  the  way, 
h  was  useless  food  to  swallow, 
.    l'"or  it  simply  wouldn't  stay. 

Then  we  started  in  to  travel. 

Covered  almost  all  of  France, 
Guess  we  couldn't  find  the  Germans, 

But  at  last  we  got  our  chance. 

They  packed  us  in  French  box-cars — 

Forty  "Hommes"  or  eight  "Chevaux" — 
Then  auto  trucks,  and  then  shanks-mare — 

Colonel    Bush's   Travelling    show. 

We  reached  the  front  in  dead  of  night, 

And  camouflaged  our  guns ; 
We  were  anxious,  wanted  action. 

And  a  chance  to  get  the  Huns, 

What  we  did  to  dear  old  Heinie 

Would  be  terrible  to  tell 
So,  to  make  the  next  line  rhyme,  I'll 

Just  say,  "We  gave  them  Hell." 

Oh,  we  know  that  God  was  with  us, 

Heinie  couldn't  find  our  station. 
Even  Satan  must  have  cheered  us, 

We  increased   Hell's   population. 

But,  as  all  things  have  an  ending, 

"C'est  la  paix,  le  guerre  finis"  ; 
We've  renewed  our  watchful  waiting, 

Wondering  what  our  destiny. 

Corp.  Garrison  L.  Beachy. 


SECTION  III 


This  and  That 


ROOKIE  DAYS 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SILVER  LAKE. 


The  early  days  of  Regimental  Headquarters  Company,  134th  Field  Artillery, 
are  a  part  of  Border  lore  and  do  not  come  into  this  brief  recital  which  is  concerned 
with  its  full  blossoming  in  the  rich  and  fertile  experiences  at  Silver  Lake.  Its 
organization,  recruiting  and  initial  awkward  gyrations  back  and  forth  across  the 
hot  spaces  of  Buchtel  Field  are  wholly  matters  of  other  record.  But  we  have  cut 
out  for  ourselves  the  rather  delicate  job  of  penning  the  incidents  of  that  somewhat 
hazy  event  recalled  fondly  by  us  as  the  "Battle  of  Silver  Lake";  done  not  from 
the  motive  of  self-praise  and  egotistic  historical  preservation — though  we'll  not 
deny  that  our  feats  in  that  bloodless  and  breathless  campaign  are  worthily  lauda- 
tory— but  done  purely  from  a  desire  to  prevent  that  important  page  of  history 
being  torn  out  and  relegated  to  the  waste  basket  of  hopeless  forgetfulriess  by  a 
stupid  and  unimpressionistic  reading  public.  And  the  "Battle  of  .Silver  Lake," 
be  it  only  the  widow's  mite,  must  take  its  place  alongside  those  later  glorious 
events  that  put  democracy  over  once  and  for  all  and  kaiserism  in  eternal  limbo. 
This  recognition  is  bound  to  come  (pardon  the  "flour-y"  license)  "eventually,  so 
why  not  now." 

Could  a  man  of  military  instincts  and  training  have  seen  the  rabble  that 
alighted  from  the  N.  O.  T.  &  L.  at  the  gates  of  Silver  Lake  Park  one  fair  morn- 
ing in  late  July,  he  would  indeed  have  shuddered  with  grave  misgivings  for  the 
future  of  democracy's  young  army.  Clothing  of  every  cut  and  color  with  a  gay 
sprinkling  of  straw  top-gear  gave  this  unit  of  Uncle  Sam's  future  victorious 
army  a  decidedly  picnic  appearance,  rather  than  an  imposing  military  mien.  In- 
stead of  the  snappy,  clean-cut  movements  of  the  army  man  they  lounged  about 
with  the  lazy  grace  and  languid  ease  of  young  man  habitually  addicted  to  a  life 
of  unruffled  leisure.  Any  stranger  would  have  noted  the  assemblage  merely  as 
a  party  of  mid-week  picnickers  bent  on  a  care-free  frolic  in  the  park.  For  how 
was  any  one  to  know  that  they  carried  on  those  careless  shoulders  the  burdens 
and  high  resolves  and  indomitable  will  of  a  nation  at  war?  But  this  is  just  the 
beginning  and  later  days  are  to  see  a  transformation  that  even  mothers  will  look 
upon  with  amazement. 


72  THELIAISON 

It  was  in  late  July  when  we  went  into  camp  at  Silver  Lake  to  begin  our  train- 
ing in  preparation  for  the  gruelling  work  that  awaited  us  overseas — a  work  that 
could  be  faced  only  with  the  strongest  sinew^s  and  highest  will.  Our  morale  was 
of  the  very  highest.  Everywhere  eagerness,  willingness  and  determination  were 
the  dominant  factors  of  the  spirit  with  which  the  company  entered  into  its  work. 
The  men  seemed  intuitively  to  realize  that  their  duty  lay  along  the  path  that  would 
lead  to  nearest  perfection,  physically,  mentally,  and  spiritually.  Each  one  knew 
that  success  against  the  Hun.  the  mostly  highly  trained  soldier  in  the  world,  was 
in  direct  proportion  to  his  training,  and  acted  accordingly. 

But  this  must  not  develop  into  a  treatise  on  military  ethics.  So  we'll  leave 
it  to  the  author  of  "The  Psychology  of  a  Soldier"  to  delve  into  the  inner  recesses 
and  turn  the  soul  of  the  recruit  inside  out.  while  we  adhere  to  his  outer  and  every- 
day manifestations. 

Of  course  this  chronicle  would  be  sadly  incomplete  (which  will  be  the  case 
anyway)  without  a  full  and  tactical  description  of  the  battleground,  or  camp. 
And  naturally,  in  the  soldier's  eye  (which  sans  doute  is  set  in  his  stomach)  the 
most  important  topographical  feature  on  the  terrain  is  the  mess  shack.  When  we 
arrived  upon  the  battleground  our  to-be  kitchen  was  discovered  to  be  a  little  ten- 
by-twelve,  unimposing  shack,  anything  but  inviting,  and  oh !  far  removed  from 
appetizing.  \\'e  arrived  in  the  morning,  and  after  the  usual  reconnaissance  work 
over  the  ground,  steps  were  taken  to  get  dinner  under  way  for  the  hungry  gang. 
Cooks  and  K.  P.'s  were  selected  from  the  company  with  due  and  discriminating 
regard  for  their  long  and  valuable  experience  in  the  delicate  and  exacting  art  of 
culinary  concoction  ( and  be  it  said,  apropos  of  nothing,  that  they  actually  could 
boil  water  without  scorching  it).  But  in  the  process  of  preparation  we  were  sud- 
denly plunged  into  an  awful  dilemma.  Because  of  a  grave  blunder  on  the  part  of 
our  Ordnance  Department  we  had  not  been  provided  with  kitchen  equipment. 
This  knowledge  leaked  out  to  the  men  and  with  it  the  persistent  rumor  that  there 
would  be  no  chow  that  day.  Now,  any  one  who  has  hiked  twenty-four  hours  on 
hardtack  and  monkeymeat  knows  that  hunger  and  sweet  disposition  rarely  enjoy 
mutual  association,  and  insistent  mutterings  of  an  unorthodox  nature  accom- 
panied by  black  looks  indicated  that  mutiny  was  inevitable  were  not  the  grum- 
blings of  disgruntled  stomachs  immediately  quieted. 

But  in  the  face  of  dire  necessity  for  immediate  action,  the  ingenious  brain 
of  one  of  our  cooks  found  a  way  out  of  the  muddle.  In  the  rubbish  heap  near  the 
lake  he  found  an  old  pot,  a  battered  tin  pan  and  the  most  important  parts  of  an 
old  stove.  With  the  help  of  a  few  willing,  hungry  ones,  he  soon  had  the  stove 
snugly  located  in  one  corner  of  the  shack  and  a  fire  blazing  merrily  in  it.  Then 
with  a  half-yard  of  an  old  discarded  shirt  and  three  pints  of  cold  water,  sans 
savon.  he  scoured  out  the  pot  and  pan  and  cleared  the  cuisine  for  action.  A  few 
minutes  later  our  nostrils,  doubly  sensitized  now  by  gnawing  hunger,  detected  the 
very  savory  odor  of  boiling  beef  and  the  day  was  saved.  How  little  does  the 
world  recognize  in  the  modest  and  vmobtrusive  army  cook  a  hero  of  the  first 
order  on  whom  some  of  war's  greatest  events  hinge  their  turning!  Truly  **full 
many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene,"  etc.,  but  you  can  complete  the  quotation  for 


THELIAISON  7Z 

yourself,  as  there  is  neither  time  nor  space  for  it  here.  Besides  it  is  an  unpardon- 
able sin  in  the  ethics  of  the  Bucks  to  praise  or  pity  any  army  cook  or  K.  P. 

Now  that  first  meal  was  a  "hum-dinger"  and  enough  to  make  any  one  who 
enjoys  life  from  a  gastronomic  point  of  view,  "go  over  the  knob"  once  and  for  all. 
Our  menu  was  vastly  varied — boiled  beef  in  large  and  generous  hunks  without 
condiments  and — water.  But  we  had  plenty,  enough  to  remove  the  wrinkles  from 
our  abdominal  integument  and  the  gall  from  our  dispositions.  xA.s  we  passed  by 
the  serving  window  with  our  cape-pan,  tin  cup  and  spoon  the  K.  P.  generously 
filled  them  to  overflowing.  We  were  given  several  hunks  of  that  India  rubber 
beef,  and  one  was  enough  to  keep  your  molars  busy  for  several  hours.  Bread 
was  just  a  little  scarce,  but  as  for  water — well,  we  had  all  we  wanted.  But  it  must 
not  be  inferred  that  chow  was  always  thus.  Before  the  battle  had  gotten  wcU 
under  way  we  were  feasting  as  royally  as  kings  and,  perhaps  more  so  than  many. 
Eggs,  with  which  we  have  been  so  little  associated  since  our  departure  for  for- 
eign soil,  were  as  plentiful  as  cooties  in  the  front-line  trenches.  X7nder  the  wi^^e 
management  of  Acting  Mess  Sergeant  McCaskey,  our  ration  list  ranged  all  the 
way  from  the  most  delectable  cereals  and  choice  fruits  to  the  juicy  cuts  of  every 
nameable  meat.  Of  course,  it  made  not  a  particle  of  difference  to  us  that  his 
extravagant  buying  put  us  in  an  awful  hcie  and  we  had  to  nearly  starve  for 
months  afterwr.rds  to  square  up.  We  ii\ed  then  at  least.  We  usually  had  the 
privilege  of  preparing  our  own  breakfast  vvill;  unrestrained  access  to  cereals, 
fruits,  ham  and  eggs  in  unlimited  quantities.  N^ot  only  were  we  liberally  fed  at 
mess  time  but  we  had  the  rare  privilege  of  procuring  a  lunch  in  off  hours.  Even 
in  those  hours  of  night  time,  dedicated  to  the  memories  of  chafing-dish  days,  we 
could  return  from  revel  in  town  and  always  find  the  latch-string  of  the  old  mess- 
shack  on  the  outside.  And  the  feeds  concocted  at  those  times  would  easily  put  to 
shame  the  outlay  of  an  ordinary  restaurant. 

But  though  the  subject  of  eating  is  ever  alluring  to  a  healthy  and  capacious 
digestion,  we  cannot  occupy  all  the  space  allotted  to  this  chronicle  in  discussing  its 
pleasing  adjuncts. 

Of  course,  sleep  is  as  essential  to  well-being  as  is  the  material  gratification 
of  the  inner  man,  and  it  was  imperative  for  us  to  find  places  to  lay  our  weary 
heads  after  the  day's  tedious  toil.  Xow  our  quarters  at  Silver  Lake  were  of  a 
type  .splendidly  unique,  and  extremely  novel  in  their  radical  deviation  from  the 
established  order  of  army  camp  construction.  Through  the  hospitality  of  a 
Doughboy  outfit  encamped  at  the  lake  we  were  supplied  with  two  old  "squad" 
tents,  I.  C.  I),  so  long  that  the  marks  of  their  condemnation  were  all  but 
obliterated  by  the  ravages  of  time.  They  were  tattered  and  torn  and  Haunted 
proudly  the  frayed  streamers  of  many  a  hard-fought  campaign  with  the  remorse- 
less forces  of  time  and  temperature.  ^lany  a  laughable  rent  from  apex  to  base 
admitted  an  abundance  of  fresh  air  and  its  liquid  concomitant  in  periods  of  low 
barometer.  It  was  very  possible  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  one  of  nature's  shower 
baths  while  peacefully  asleep,  and  many  a  night  were  we  routed  out  of  our  bunks 
to  stand  and  shiver  and  cuss  until  the  deluge  ended. 


74  THELIAISON 

As  stated  above  these  old  relics  of  a  prehistoric  epoch  were  "squad"  tents, 
but  in  this  case  their  name  extravagantly  belied  their  usage,  for  enough  men  were 
quartered  within  them  to  form  several  squads.  .\t  least  a  third  of  the  company 
sought  them  for  their  nocturnal  rest.  To  accommodate  the  remaining  men  a 
few  "pup"'  tents  were  "policed  up"  from  some  unknown  source  and  set  up  in 
artistic  alignment  to  form  a  comjiany  street.  Each  of  these  is  ordinarily  sup- 
posed to  quarter  two  men,  but  necessity  here  increased  the  number  to  three  and 
in  some  cases  four.  These  were  staked  out  along  a  slight  slope  and  in  the 
absence  of  ditches  rains  always  gave  them  a  pleasant  and  comfortable  interior. 
So  in  one  way  or  another  all  the  men  found  at  least  the  semblance  of  a  shelter 
and,  however,  comfortless  and  dreary  it  was,  always  the  irrepressible  spirit  of 
youth  touched  it  with  the  cheer  and  gaiety  of  the  pure  joy  of  high  vitality. 
And  in  these  quarters  they  cheerfully  and  spiritedly  set  about  the  work  of 
preparation  to  fit  them  for  the  sterner  life  that  called  to  the  spirit  of  the  indom- 
itable youth  from  far  across  the  seas. 

Now,  of  course,  our  chief  purpose  at  Silver  Lake  was  work,  drill  and  train- 
ing, and  all  other  activities  were  incidental  and  subordinate.  So  no  time  was 
lost  in  getting  to  the  actual  business  in  hand.  The  company  was  organized  as 
nearly  as  possible  along  proper  lines  and  acting  N.  C.  O.'s  were  appointed  to 
carry  on  the  work  of  organization  and  training.  As  far  as  possible  men  were 
selected  with  previous  military  experience,  but  in  the  light  of  present  retrospec- 
tion it  is  difficult  to  keep  from  thinking  that  a  few  mistakes  were  made.  Russell 
Bowman  was  made  acting  "top  soak",  "chief  kick"  or  whatever  you  wish  to  use 
for  the  official  designation  of  acting  first  sergeant.  Now  it  would  be  a  travesty 
on  the  usage  of  refined  English  to  endeavor  to  narrate  his  actions  and  procedure 
in  this  official  capacity.  But  ask  the  boys.  Then  acting  Corporals  were  selected 
to  take  under  their  sheltering  and  instructive  wings  the  awkward  and  rather 
timid  rookies  of  their  respective  squads.  And  in  the  deepest  and  most  exacting 
sense  of  the  word,  we  were  rookies.  Why,  we  were  so  green  in  matters  of 
military  technique  that  we  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  what  constituted  the  duties 
of  a  non-com.  About  all  we  knew  was  that  soldiers  were  supposed  to  fight,  but 
as  to  the  specific  hows  we  were  all  at  sea.  So  profound  was  our  ignorance  of 
military  courtesy  and  customs  that  a  Captain's  bars  meant  no  more  to  us  than  a 
Corporal's  chevrons.  Thus  you  can  realize  the  gigantic  job  on  the  hands  of 
those  burdened  with  the  making  of  an  army  capable  enough  to  meet  and  defeat  the 
greatest  military  machine  the  world  has  ever  known.  You  can  also  realize  how 
little  concerned  our  country  was  in  pre-war  days  with  affairs  military  and  how 
absolutely  anti-militaristic  she  was. 

With  the  temporary  organization  completed  we  started  with  illimitable  "pep" 
upon  the  gruelling  process  of  "squads  right  and  wrong."  Day  after  day  in  the 
boiling  August  sun  we  marched,  turned,  pivoted  and  double-timed  with  unquench- 
able diligence  and  determination  back  and  forth  across  the  fields  bordering  on 
Silver  Lake.  We  learned  to  keep  step  in  simple  column  formations,  growing 
daily  toward  the  perfection  that  comes  with  practice,  and  gaining  always  that 
ease  and  confi.!ence  so  essential  to  accomplishment  in  any  work.  We  were  eager 
to  learn.     We  wanted  to  be  good  soldiers,  to  uphold  the  traditions  of  the  army 


THELIAISON  75 

in  soldierly  qualities  and  actions.  Neat,  snappy  appearance,  alertness  and  en- 
durance soon  became  matters  of  deep  personal  pride  with  each  and  every  one. 
For  purposes  and  physical  development  the  daily  routine  of  formal  drill  was 
spiced  with  long  hikes  into  the  surrounding  country.  These  developed  muscle 
and  lung  power  and  hardened  the  bodies  to  high  degrees  of  physical  endurance. 
And  every  veteran  of  Silver  Lake  will  tell  you  these  hikes  proved  vastly  worth 
while  when  later  he  wore  out  many  a  pair  of  hob-nails  along  the  hard  white 
roads  of  France. 

Then  there  was  the  fatigue  work — K.  P.'s,  wood  detail,  etc.  This  of  course, 
is  a  part  of  a  soldier's  life  he  would  like  well  to  forget.  He  can  hardly  conceive 
a  war  hero  encrusted  in  the  grease  of  a  soup  kitchen.  But  it  had  to  be  done  and 
he  played  that  part  of  his  army  career  just  as  gamely  as  his  part  with  the  gun. 

But  this  physical  drill  was  only  a  part  of  the  training  designed  to  make  of 
the  rookie  a  full-fledged  fighting  man  of  martial  mien  and  soldierly  instincts. 
We  soon  came  to  know  that  all  fighting  is  not  done  with  the  hands ;  in  fact,  that 
the  g'-eater  part  is  done  with  the  head.  This  requires  a  very  high  mental  itairi- 
ing  in  tactics.  We  must  learn  to  think  rapidly  and  calmly  in  trying  situations, 
to  act  quickly,  to  exercise  cool  judgment  and  personal  initiative.  Then  we  must 
develop  to  a  high  degree  of  efiiciency  the  means  of  tactical  manouvering.  So 
daily  we  spent  much  time  on  visual  communication  and  courier  work.  This  was 
the  greater  part  of  our  daily  routine  and  drill,  and  it  was  carried  on  with  a  dili- 
gent persistence  that  meant  much  for  its  success. 

But  there  is  a  side  to  our  life  at  Silver  Lake  that  was  the  real  experience — 
the  big  comprehensive  experience  of  fraternal  association  that  will  leave  forever 
the  indelible  imprints  on  the  souls  of  thoi^e  who  made  it  a  part  of  them.  It  is 
that  part  of  our  life  there  that  found  its  time  in  our  off  hours,  the  evenings  of 
rest  and  mutual  commingling  in  the  quiet  dusk.  As  time  went  on  these  confi- 
dences grew  deeper  and  more  intimate  and  men  from  widely  varied  walks  of  life 
met  in  a  spirit  of  unreserve  that  opened  up  rich  fields  of  experience.  And  soon 
we  knew  each  other,  the  hopes  and  aspirations,  the  big  ambitions,  even  down  to 
the  petty  foibles  that  stamp  infallibly  the  personality  of  individual  character. 

Then,  too,  we  were  not  lacking  in  pleasure  of  a  recreative  sort.  .The  lake 
Vv'as  handy  and  bathing  is  ever  a  popular  sport,  especially  when  the  beach  is  re- 
splendent with  the  gay  aquatic  costumes  of  the  fair  sex.  Silver  Lake  always 
had  present  its  share  of  Akron  beauties  of  the  mermaid  type.  In  the  early  even- 
ing most  of  the  fellows  after  a  hot,  dusty  day  of  sweaty  grill  found  resistless 
allurement  in  the  cool  waters  and  the  refreshing  association  of  its  fair  denizens. 
So  swimming  became  an  incurable  epidemic  among  the  fellows. 

Among  sports  not  listed,  "craps"  undoubtedly  held  first  place.  Not  a  day 
passed  but  the  familiar  language  of  the  "bones"  could  be  heard  somewhere  about 
the  camp.  It  is  a  great  army  game  and  there  is  none  that  so  excites  and  holds  in 
its  spell  as  this  one  does.  Our  greatest  advocate  of  the  game  at  the  Lake  was 
the  "West  Virginia  Jew",  and  none  of  us  will  soon  forget  "Becky  and  his  bones." 


76  THELIAISON 

If  he  was  busted  he  would  come  out  waving  a  pair  of  pants  or  some  other  article 
of  clothing  and  call  out,  "Shoot  two  bits." 

In  this  way,  engrossed  in  these  varied  activities,  we  spent  more  than  two 
months  in  camp  at  the  Lake,  the  first  two  months  of  our  life  in  the  army.  We 
acquired  knowledge  of  value,  and  training  that  meant  much  to  us  in  later  days. 
With  the  end  of  September  Silver  Lake  passed  into  the  immortal  annals  of  the 
past,  a  finished  epoch,  a  phase  of  achievement  forever  ended  and  gone,  but  an 
immutable  and  endearing  memory  to  us  all. 

The  X.  G. 

Didn't  know  much,  but  knew  something; 

Learned  while  the  other  men  played ; 
Didn't  delay   for  commissions, 

Went  while  the  other  men  stayed ; 
Took  no  degrees  up  at  Plattsburg, 

Needed  too  soon  for  the  game; 
Ready  at  hand  to  be  asked  for. 

Orders  said  "Come  I''  and  they  came. 
Didn't  get  bars  on  their  shoulders, 

Or  three  months  to  see  if  they  could ; 
Didn't  get  classed  with  the  Reg'lars, 

Or  told  they  were  equally  good, — 
Just  got  a  job  and  got  busy. 

Awkward   they  were   but   intent, 
Filing  no  claim   for  exemption, 

Orders  said  "Go,"  and  they  went. 
Didn't   get   farewell   processions. 

Didn't  get  newspaper  praise. 
Didn't  escape  the  injunction  - 

To  mend,  in  extenso,  their  ways. 
Work-bench  and   counter  and   roll-top, 

Dug  in,  and  minding  their  chance, 
Orders  said  "First  line  of  trenches" — 

They're  holding   them — somewhere  in  France. 

R.  F.  Andrews 


Bugle  Calls. 

Reveille. 
I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  can't  get  'em  up, 
I  can't  get  'em  up  this  morning, 
I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  can't  get  'em  up, 
I  can't  get  'em  up  at  all. 
Corp'rals  worse  than  privates. 
Sergeants  worse  than  Corp'rals, 
Loot'nants  worse  than  Sergeants, 
And  the  Captain's  worst  of  all. 

Chorus :     I  can't  get  'em  up,  etc. 


THE     LIAISON 


// 


Mess  Call. 

Soup'y.   soup'y,   soup'y, 

Without  a   single   bean. 

Pork-}',   pork-y,    pork-y, 

Without  a  streak  of  lean, 

Coffee,  coffee,  coffee. 

Without  a  bit  o"  cream. 


March. 

You're  in  the  army  now ; 

You're  not  behind  the  plow. 
You  dig  in  the  ditch. 
You'll  never  get  rich ; 

You're  in  the  armv  now. 


Pay  Day. 

Pay  day  I     Pa\-  day  ! 

Come  and  get  your  fifty  cents  a  da}-. 

Pay  day !     Pay  day ! 

Come  and  get  your  pay. 

What  you  goin'  to  do  with  the  drunken  soldiers? 

Put  'em  in  the  guard  house  'till  they're  sober. 

Pay  da}' !     Pa}-  day ! 

Come  and  get  }-our  pa}-. 

Stable  Call. 

Come  all  who  are  able  and  go  to  the  stable, 

And  water  your  horses  and  give  'em  some  corn ; 

For  if  you  don't  do  it  the  Colonel  will  know  it 
And  then  you  will  rue  it,  sure  as  you're  born. 

So  come,  who  are  able  and  go  to  the  stable. 

And  water  }our  horses  and  give  'em  some  corn. 


Sick  Call. 
Come  and  get  your  quinine. 
Come  and  get  your  pills. 
Oh!  come  and  get  your  quinine. 
Come  and  get  your  pills. 


Taps. 

Love,  good  night. 
Fare  thee  well. 
Go  to  sleep 
Till   the  dawn 
Breaks  the  night. 
Until  morn  do  we  part 
Love,  good  night. 


TRAINING  CAMP 

Army  Side  Lines. 

Scarcely  had  we  taken  the  oath  before  some  were  throwing"  a  baseball  and 
others  kicking  and  passing  the  popular  pig-skin.  We  played  several  baseball 
games  with  the  Infantry  Companies  at  Silver  Lake.  Brown,  Peters,  Eck.  Frye, 
and  Roos  performed  on  the  mound.  Saddler  Long  and  Bill  Shiel  demonstrated 
what  "years"  can  do  in  the  great  American  game.  Miller's  "Wildcats"  were 
challenged  to  a  friendly  game  with  Beckies'  "Tigers,"  and  after  nine  exciting 
innings  the  score  stood  Tigers  2,  Wildcats  2 ;  so  Alose  and  Rex  shook  hands, 
agreeing  that  it  was  SOME  game. 

We  started  for  Alabama  the  last  of  September  and  had  no  more  than  stepped 
off  the  train  when  a  group  of  football  aspirants  could  be  seen  practicing  out  back 


78  THELIAISON 

of  the  stables.  Several  Headquarters  men  were  selected  as  instructors  in  athletics 
in  the  regiment.  "Red"  Trimmer  and  Lunning  in  boxing;  Beachy  and  Mc- 
Caskey  in  wrestling;  ^Nloyer,  Watson  and  Olinger  in  running.  Nearly  every 
morning  we  hiked  over  to  the  Regimental  field  to  "extend  arms"  under  Lieu- 
tenant Pettigrew.  Old  Sol  smiled  down  on  us,  but  we  couldn't  see  it  that  way. 
Occasionally  Lieutenant  Pettigrew  had  other  business  and  Corporal  (later  Ser- 
geant) Points  put  us  through  an  hours'  work  in  the  art  of  "Pick  up  hats,  Pick," 
until  we  felt  lost  if  our  stable  Sergeant  failed  to  appear  for  the  morning's  enter- 
tainment. Beachy  and  Lunning  entertained  at  "Y  59"  in  a  fast  three-round  bout. 
Tiny  Wise  was  scheduled  to  meet  an  o])ponent  in  the  roped  arena  but  Tiny  fouml 
the  space  within  the  rope  uninhabited  save  by  himself. 

Headquarters  placed  second  in  the  Liberty  Loan  Athletic  Meet  at  Camp 
Sheridan ;  Moyer,  Watson  and  Olinger  placing  for  Headquarters :  Brenfleck 
from  C.  Battery  and  later  with  us  took  the  two-mile  run.  W^atson  opened  the 
Colonel's  eyes  when  he  won  the  50-yard  obstacle  race.  Moyer  had  no  trouble 
in  the  lOO-yard  dash. 

The  last  of  October  saw  a  motley  crew  assembled  to  elect  a  captain  and 
manager  of  our  football  team.  Ed.  Long  was  the  unanimous  choice  for  captain 
and  Moyer  received  every  vote  except  his  own,  for  coach  and  manager.  We 
played  Battery  B  the  next  week  and  lost  a  hard  fought  game — 6  to  0.  Battery 
A  won  a  lucky  game  by  one  point  on  the  following  week,  score  7  to  6.  Two 
weeks  later  the  Supply  Train  ran  over  three  touchdowns  in  the  first  half,  but  the 
second  half  we  came  to  life  and  after  three  minutes  play  we  crossed  their  goal. 
We  outplayed  them  the  rest  of  the  game,  the  final  score  being  19  to  6.  Lieutenant 
Hollenback  took  hold  of  us  the  next  day  and  after  a  week's  rolling  and  tumbling  we 
were  in  fine  shape  to  take  on  the  Engineers,  who  appeared  to  be  our  best  oppo- 
nents thus  far,  but  we  trampled  over  them  to  the  extent  of  28  to  0.  The  Engineers 
failed  to  understand  but  it  was  a  plain  case  of  good  team  work. 

Two  weeks  later  we  took  on  the  Supply  Train  again.  The  game  played  on 
a  rough  field  with  a  strong  wind.  We  played  them  to  a  standstill.  Each  team 
put  over  a  touchdown  and  each  one  failed  to  add  the  extra  point.  We  will  never 
forget  the  Saddler's  stand  on  the  one-yard  line.  The  team  line-up  during  the 
season  consisted  of :  Ends,  Hable,  Senn  and  Flynn ;  tackles,  Moore,  Olinger  Points 
and  Sutton ;  guards,  Frankenstein,  Bash,  Miller  and  Fisher ;  centers,  Long  and 
Woolfe ;  halfbacks,  Beachy,  Abbott,  Hutchinson  and  Bullock ;  quarters,  Moyer 
and  Lash ;  fullback.  Jack  Jones. 

After  the  Company  football  season  had  ended,  the  Regimental  teams  began 
to  combat  for  the  Division  championship.  We  supplied  four  men  in  Hable, 
Moyer,  Olinger  and  Jones.  Jackson,  later  with  Headquarters,  played  quarter. 
The  Regimental  team  defeated  the  135th,  6  to  0,  and  trampled  over  the  Supply 
team  13  to  0.  We  failed  to  win  the  deciding  game  when  the  strong  Ammunition 
train  won  a  hotly  disputed  contest  14  to  7.  With  third  down  and  goal  to  gain 
we  failed  to  travel  the  remaining  two  yards  to  the  goal  line  and  lost  our  chance 
for  a  tie  and  possible  victory. 

The  weather  in  Alabama  was  such  as  to  encourage  outdoor  sports  the  year 
round  and  baseball  began  when  football  left  oE.     Several  inter-battery  games 


THE     LIAISON  81 

were  staged  on  the  Regimental  diamond.  Doc.  Roos  and  Jones  formed  the 
Battery  mates ;  Red  Abbott,  Walker,  Moore  and  Woolfe  formed  the  infield ; 
Trimmer,  Reckenstein,  Miller  and  Weltner  comprised  the  outfield.  The  most 
interesting  game  of  the  year  took  place  when  the  "non-coms"'  tangled  with  the 
"bucks" ;  Trimmer,  Long  and  Jones  formed  the  "bucks"  battery.  Roos  and 
Moyer  were  battery  mates  for  the  "non-coms".  Shiel  even  brought  applause 
from  the  "bucks"  when  he  speared  Trimmer's  terrific  liner  with  one  hand. 
Cogar,  fresh  from  the  West  Virginia  League  and  with  a  tempting  ofifer  from  the 
twenty-mule  team  of  the  Borax  League,  played  an  unusual  game  in  center  field. 
Cogar  played  hard  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  wind  he  would  have  caught  a 
beautiful  pop  fly.  He  laid  ofif  for  three  days  to  nurse  sore  shoulders,  due  to  his 
vicious  swings  in  an  attempt  to  connect  with  the  little  round  pill. 

At  the  same  time  a  Regimental  team  was  being  picked  and  Headquarters 
placed  three  men  on  the  team  in  Trimmer,  Long  and  Abbott.  Red  Trimmer 
proved  to  be  the  team's  best  bet  on  the  slab  and  led  the  league  with  a  grand 
average  of  833.  having  won  five  and  lost  only  one.  Hop  Long  formed  a  part  of 
one  of  the  best  infields  in  the  Division  and  topped  the  league  with  a  batting  aver- 
age of  .485.  Red  Abbott  subbed  only  because  of  an  excellent  infield  and  had 
first  call  in  case  of  an  injury  to  any  of  its  members. 

Our  ten  days  at  Camp  Upton  were  not  without  incidents.  The  Corporals 
challenged  the  Sergeants  to  an  indoor  baseball  game  outdoors  and  the  Corporals 
won  10  to  *^.  Immediately  the  Sergeants  asked  for  a  return  game  and  again 
the  Corporals  won  by  one  point.  Points  tried  hard  but  failed  to  urge  his  clan 
enough  to  put  over  the  necessary  runs.  But  the  head  that  wears  the  crown  knows 
no  rest  and  the  "bucks"  tried  to  take  the  crown  but  again  the  Corporals  won  11 
to  10.     Also  Beachy  and  Lunning  entertained  at  the  "Y"  with  a  four-round  bout. 

After  landing  in  France  we  had  a  few  days  before  starting  our  training  at 
Camp  Souge.  The  2nd  Battalion  detachment  secured  a  baseball  game  with  F 
Battery  at  Canejan.  Using  their  hats  for  gloves  and  fence  rails  for  bats  they 
demonstrated  the  Great  American  game  to  a  large  audience  of  Frogs.  After 
entering  on  our  training  we  did  not  have  time  for  any  games. 

The  armistice  having  been  signed,  several  inter-battery  football  games  were 
played  on  the  muddy  flats  between  Recourt  and  Rambluzin.  We  tied  with  D 
battery  for  the  championship  of  the  Regiment.  We  played  two  scoreless  ties 
with  D  battery.  F  battery  was  lucky  enough  to  get  away  with  a  scoreless  tie. 
Not  once  was  the  ball  in  our  territory.  The  field  was  so  slippery  that  gains  were 
difficult.  We  ran  over  A  battery  on  a  better  field  to  the  tune  of  18  to  0.  Our 
team-work  was  fine  and  A  battery  failed  to  make  a  first  down  until  the  last 
quarter  when  Headquarters  eased  up. 

After  the  games  were  over  the  players  looked  like  human  mud  piles,  as  the 
field  was  muddy  and  no  uniforms  were  available.  Playing  without  headgears, 
shoulder  pads  and  cleated  shoes  we  came  through  without  a  single  mishap,  which 
speaks  well  for  the  condition  of  the  fellows. 


82  THELIAISON 

The  Company  team  line-up  consisted  of :  Ends,  Hable,  Senn  and  Points ; 
tackles,  Moore  (captain),  dinger  and  Sharp;  guards,  Frankenstein,  Spike  Wise, 
Sutton,  Bash  and  Fisher ;  centers,  Frederick  and  Bullock ;  quarters.  Lash  and 
Jackson ;  halfbacks,  Beachy,  Abbott,  Hutchinson  and  Brenfleck ;  fullback,  Jones. 

This  was  the  last  competing  team  the  Company  had.  Athletics  will  always 
be  one  of  the  best  memories  of  our  Army  experience. 

Echoes  From  Sheridan  Streets 

Saw-Mill :    "Well,  now  don't  kick  about  this  feed.    When  we  were  down  on  the  border 
all  we  had  was  a  hunk  of  punk  and  a  can  of  tomatoes." 
Greaseball  Jones :     "Eat  it.     We  can't." 

"It's  a  great  army,  there's  no  getting  out  of  it." 

"Gimme,  have  you  got,  let  me  take,  will  \ou?" 

"Good  God,  he  missed  him !" 

"That's  a  nice  cigar  you  are  smoking.     Have  you  another  one?" 

"Ride  him,  cowboy." 

Bullock :     "I'll  ride  that  fellow,  if  they  give  me  a  club." 

Zig:     "What  it  takes  to  do  that,  I'm  all  breakin'  out  with." 

Officer   (seeing  horse  kicked  in  stomach):     "Hey!     Don't  do  that." 

Bullock :     "Well,  he  kicked  me." 

Sheridan  stables,  young  "E.  J."  jerking  horse.     Top:     "I'll  give  you  some  extra  duty 
for  that."     Brownie :     "You'll  shout,  I  know  the  rules  of  the  army." 
Acting  "Top"  BeVier   (blowing  whistle)  :     "Everybody  inside  out." 

Becky:     "Hello,  C-c-corky." 

Eddie,   the   Saddler :     "I    feel  a   song  coming  on."     "Don't  fight,  boys.     'Taint  nice." 
"If  I've  done  anything  I'm  sorry  for,  I'm  certainly  glad  of  it." 

Schellin    remembers    how    the    Corporal    used    to    slide    into    the    office    sideways    and 
whisper;  "Got  anything  easy  for  me  to  do  today?"     Oh!  You  monkeydrill! 

"I   don't   mind   them  tail,  but   look  at  that   feet."     "On   the  It-ta-lay-yan   Front."     "I 
knows  what  I  knows." 

Peanuts — twenty-two  sacks.     It  was  a  "Wild  night"  in  "N-3." 

Oh,  the  officers  live  on  the  top  of  the  hill. 

We  live  down   in  the  dirt  and  the   swill — 

They  gave  me  a  horse  and  said  I  could  ride, 
I  didn't  see  the  shovel  on  the  other  side — 

A  Sam  Brown  belt  would  look  nice  on  m€, 
But  I'd  rather  be  back  in  the  U.  S.  A. — 

I  don't  want  any  more  army; 

Lordy,  how  I  want  to  go  home. 


THELIAISON  83 


ON  THE  WAY 

"Across"  the  Ocean, 

Since  ancient  Phoenecia  sailed  her  ships  through  the  Gate  of  Hercules  the 
illumined  pages  of  history  record  here  and  there,  maritime  voyages  of  great  con- 
sequence to  subsequent  civilization.  Some  naturally  occupy  more  illustrious 
pages  than  others ;  and  some  for  reason  beyond  comprehension  have  been  denied  a 
place  in  the  worthy  volume  of  great  events.  Of  the  latter  there  is  one  of  little 
note  to  the  world,  but  eternally  grooved  into  the  memories  of  those  who  made  it. 
When  the  "Great  War"  is  a  mere  memory  a  certain  name,  whose  very  enunciation 
is  nauseating,  will  stand  out  like  a  mountain  in  the  "apres  le  guerre"  reminiscences 
of  the  134th  Field  Artillery.  So  in  this  narration  our  efforts  will  be  bent  towards 
the  recording  of  a  few  incidents  inseparably  linked  to  this  name. 

In  the  gray  light  of  early  dawn,  on  June  27,  1918,  the  one  common  and  long 
harbored  desire  of  our  company  gave  birth  to  happy  realization.  On  that  morn- 
ing, just  as  the  coming  sun  was  touching  the  gray  shadows  with  its  rich  tints  of 
crimson,  we  "silently  folded  our  tents"  and  stole  out  of  the  confines  of  Camp 
Upton.  Boarding  a  train  we  were  rapidly  whirled  to  a  Brooklyn  pier  on  East 
River.  There  we  boarded  a  ferry  boat  dropped  down  the  bay  and  tied  into  a 
wharf  at  the  Bush  Terminal.  Here  while  the  T.  O.  checked  and  tabulated  us 
the  Red  Cross  passed  around  smiles  in  the  form  of  hot  coffee,  sandwiches  and 
cigarettes;  after  which  we  trod  the  gangplank  to  the  decks  of  "His  Majesty's 
Ship,"  the  "Nestor."  Following  the  usual  routine  of  assigning  the  various  organ- 
izations to  their  respective  decks,  we  settled  down  in  spots  peacefully  bathed  in 
the  soft  glow  of  the  fast  westering  sun,  to  dream  of  the  morrow. 

As  we  sat  there  in  the  gathering  dusk,  looking  up  the  bay,  watching  the  great 
metropolis  above  us  assume  the  glory  of  its  nocturnal  brilliance,  we  thrilled  to 
a  feeling  wonderfully  rich  and  new.  Out  in  the  mists  of  evening,  shot  through 
and  through  with  the  colorful  splendor  of  dying  day,  the  "Goddess  of  Liberty," 
eternal  guardian  at  the  gateway  of  Freedom,  was  dimly  visible.  And  around  her 
the  long  slanting  rays,  like  roadside  arrows,  pointed  out  across  the  quiet  waters, 
our  way  to  the  "Great  Adventure."  A  peculiar  hush  was  over  the  boys,  and  all 
seemed  silent  in  the  fascination  of  this  newer  vision  of  the  Cause  that  had  called 
them.  The  settings  on  this  quiet  night  were  peculiarly  fitting  to  this  phase  of 
the  great  drama  into  which  we  had  been  plunged,  and  long  we  pondered  coming 
possibilities,  till  weariness  overcame  and  we  went  below. 

The  Nestor,  originally  an  Australian  freighter,  was  a  three-decker  with  a 
spacious  hold.  This  space  had  been  decked  into  apartments  and  was  used  for 
eating  and  sleeping  quarters  for  soldiers  "en  voyage."  Due  to  military  necessity 
it  was  greatly  congested.  We  slept  in  hammocks  swung  from  supporting  beams 
and  sandwiched  in  in  saw-tooth  fashion.  They  were  so  close  that  every  move- 
ment of  a  hobnail  invariably  registered  upon  the  face  of  the  adjoining  sleeper, 
and  any  rolling  of  the  ship  resulted  in  a  bumping  game  anything  but  restful. 
Getting  into  one  of  these  sea-going  berths  was  a  feat  requiring  rare  acrobatic 
skill.     It  was  necessary  to  climb  upon  the  table,  reach  up  and  grasp  firmly  the 


84  THE     LIAISON 

lattice  work  overhead,  then  gaining  momentum  by  much  swinging,  execute  an 
aerial  "flip-flop,"  which,  if  lucky,  would  carry  you  into  your  nest.  The  chief 
object  of  the  performance  was  to  cause  the  man  on  either  side  of  you  as  much 
discomfort  as  possible,  and  seldom  the  effort  resulted  in  failure.  Not  soon  to  be 
forgotten  is  the  nightly  chorus  of  polite  curses  from  the  "gang,"  when  some  upper- 
deck  owl  would  stumble  in  and  bump  his  way  beneath  the  swinging  hanmiocks 
to  the  far  side.  With  careful  and  studied  progress  the  "owl"  was  usually  able 
to  bump  his  head  viciously  into  the  curved  backs  of  the  sleepers. 

Beneath  these  suspended  bunks  were  long,  narrow  tables  tastefully  deco- 
rated with  a  few  tin  jians,  a  teapot,  bucket  and  wash  tub.  Here  we  three  times 
a  day  partook  of  the  delicacies  of  transport  culinary  art.  Xow  in  the  Army  the 
most  interesting  subject  that  can  engage  the  mind  of  any  soldier  is  that  of  "chow." 
The  surest  way  in  the  world  to  gain  or  lose  forever  the  friendship  of  a  soldier  is 
through  his  gastronomic  proclivities.  Please  his  insatiable  appetite  and  you  make 
an  everlasting  friend ;  starve  him  and  you  make  an  enduring  enemy.  Without 
doubt  the  most  hated  person  in  the  army,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  duty- 
struck  N.  C.  O.,  is  the  "belly-robber,"  or  K.  P.  who  with  malice  aforethought 
passes  your  mess-kit  by  with  a  slim  issue. 

Th-^  feeding  on  the  Xestor  was  the  finest  piece  of  studied  (mis)  management 
that  Fve  ever  seen.  Each  table  was  issued  an  allowance  card  and  one  man 
appointed  to  draw  the  rations  from  the  galley.  Of  course  he  drew  the  daily 
allowance  of  sugar  and  condiments  in  the  morning  and  they  disappeared  at  the 
first  meal.  Before  experience  gave  him  a  stable  pair  of  "sea  legs"  he  occasionally 
discarded  the  tempting  stew  on  his  way  down  the  companionway,  and  we  existed 
on  salt  air  and  imagination  until  the  next  meal.  The  menu  remmded  me  of  a 
.small  town  show,  "Change  of  program  every  week.''  For  fourteen  breakfasts  we 
had  coft'ee  tha^  required  carbolic  acid  for  a  suitable  chaser ;  oatmeal  with  the 
formula  (Om)  i-f-(^^.^).-.n,  on  w^hich  the  entire  daily  issue  of  sugar  VN^as  used; 
and  orange  peel  marmalade  that  had  green  persimmons  backed  off  the  map  for 
acrid  bitterness.  At  noon  mutton,  boiled  spuds  (in  full  dress),  stewed  rice 
(sugarless),  rare  t:eas  and  steel  jacketed  beans.  "Five  o'clock  Tea"  was  hterally 
tea,  and  tea  without  sugar  at  that.  Of  course  once  in  a  while  we  had  an  "extra" 
of  which  we'll  speak  later. 

It  was  8:30,  on  the  morning  of  June  28,  1918,  when  the  Xestor  lifted  anchor, 
steamed  down  the  Bay,  out  through  the  narrows  and  set  her  course  toward  the 
rising  sun.  As  many  as  could  crowded  to  the  ship's  stern  to  watch  the  shoreline  of 
the  dearest  land  in  the  world  fade  from  sight.  The  old,  old  story,  as  old  as  life  is 
old  :  the  full  realization  of  just  how  dear  a  lifelong  possession  is  never  comes  to  us 
until  we  see  it  slipping  away  from  us — perhaps  forever.  Xothing  had  ever 
occui  red  in  our  quiet  lives,  to  bring  to  us  a  full  ap])reciation  of  the  immeasurable 
sweetness  of  that  little  word,  HOME.  Yet  at  this  moment,  as  we  silently 
watched  the  green  sh.ores  slowly  fade  and  merge  into  the  blue  depths  of  the  sea. 
the  spirit  of  true  American  patriotism  warmed  our  souls  as  never  before,  with 
the  reverential  glow.  So  on  we  went ;  past  the  nets  that  guarded  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor,  past  the  rinal  headlands  and  oiU  into  oceanic  waters.  The  prow 
swun::^  to  the  northwest  and  set  out  with  a  full  head  of  steam,  ready  to  face  the 


THELIAISON  85 

worst  Old  Atlantic  could  give  in  the  way  of  storms  or  hidden  submarines.  The 
weather  was  fine — clear  sunshine  and  a  moderate  breeze  with  the  keen  salt  tang 
of  the  sea — and  for  a  time  all  was  well. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  out  we  came  on  deck  to  find  our  boat  one 
of  a  splendid  convoy  of  thirteen  ships,  all  nosing  their  way  through  the  blue- 
green  waters  with  a  majesty  befitting  the  imjjortance  of  the  role  they  vvere  play- 
ing. Far  in  our  wake  on  the  watery  horizon  could  be  seen  the  steel  turret  of  a 
battle  cruiser,  ever  watchful  for  any  danger  menacing  the  sixty  thousand  lives 
left  to  her  care:  o-nd  to  our  port  an>1  starboard  and  dead  ahead,  slim,  graceful, 
low-set  "Chasers"  could  be  seen  darting  hither  and  thither  like  eager  hounds 
seeking  the  scent  of  their  prey. 

The  clear  skies  prevailed  for  the  first  two  days,  a  stifif  breeze  soon  sprung 
up,  that  whi))ped  the  placid  surface  into  a  snowyfield  of  choppy  whitecaps.  With 
the  ever  increasing  swells,  the  rythmic  rise  and  fall  of  the  boat  became  more 
pronounced,  and  each  time  she  plunged  her  prow  into  a  mounting  wave,  she  came 
out  crowned  with  a  color-shot  halo  of  salt  spray  that  left  her  forward  decks 
scintillating  in  the  sunshine  as  though  covered  with  a  carpet  of  pearls.  Ordinarily 
this  would  have  been  a  play  in  aesthetics  worthy  of  the  most  exacting  sense  of 
critical  ap]:)reciation,  but  as  usual,  the  flesh  and  its  weaknesses  intervened  to 
baffle  art. 

Xow,  seasickness,  like  a  "payday  poker"  debt,  isn't  a  pleasant  subject  to 
even  write  about,  but  its  unparalleled  antics  on  board  the  Xester  must  be  recorded 
here  The  symptoms  of  this  ocean  jinks  are  peculiar.  At  first  one  experiences 
a  rather  pleasant  "vin  blanc"  feeling,  or,  in  other  words,  a  "2  franc  stew."  But 
the  aftermath  is  inevitable.  When  the  boat  falls  from  the  crest  of  a  swell  there 
is  a  feeling  as  though  one  is  sinking  to  bottomless  de])ths,  and  his  stomach,  not 
wishing  to  go  down,  remains  where  it  is.  Let  the  reader  imagine  the  result 
attending  this  hitch  in  the  usually  smooth  co-operation  of  all  the  organic  members. 
Sick?  That  is  a  very  mild  word  meaning  ease,  comfort  and  ])leasure,  when 
compared  to  this  physical  condition.  It  is  here  that  suicide,  as  a  merciful  means 
of  escape,  begins  to  grow  and  take  form  in  the  tortured  mind. 

But  for  the  intensely  human  comedy  in  it  all,  the  experience  would  have  been 
a  dour  time  indeed.  At  first  only  a  few  were  stricken  ;  but  soon  nearly  all  on 
board  were  busily  engaged  in  fighting  for  room  at  the  rail.  Natural  pride  and 
cleanliness  for  a  time  caused  the  boys  to  empty  the  unwelcome  contents  into  the 
sea,  but  soon  the  last  vestige  of  energy  succumbed  to  the  debilitating  ravages  of 
the  plague,  and  any  place  was  fit  for  the  irrepressible  overflow.  All  "pep"  was 
gone,  the  fellows  refused  to  move,  and  lying  sprawled  out  on  their  backs  would 
throw  "it"  up  in  the  air  to  fall  like  rain  on  all  those  near  them.  The  decks  were 
a  mess,  yet  the  afflicted  rolled  about  upon  them  without  the  least  concern.  The 
sights  and  odors  themselves,  without  any  help  from  the  ship's  motion  were 
enough  to  wreck  a  cast  iron  stomach. 

But  incidents  full  of  side-splitting  humor  made  the  situation  a  farcical  fun- 
eral, a  bit  of  humorous  byplay  in  a  sickly  strain.  Much  of  the  comedy  was 
enacted  at  best  drill.     This  occurred  twice  dailv.     All  men  were  assembled  on  the 


86  THE     LIAISON 

decks  and  each  man  had  his  place  and  instructions  on  what  to  do  in  case  of 
danger.  During  this  little  bit  of  routine  the  decks  were  jammed  to  the  limit. 
After  assembling  it  was  necessary  to  stand  in  place  a  little  while  before  dismissal. 
It  was  here  that  the  fun  began.  The  strain  of  standing  up  in  that  breathless  con- 
gestion was  too  much,  and  the  old  malady  would  reassert  itself  with  renewed 
force.  Soon  funny  grimaces  would  begin  to  appear  on  the  pale  faces,  and  some 
one  would  yell,  "Gangway !  One  side  or  a  wheel  off !  Am  coming  through !" 
and  start  for  the  rail.  And  loudly  expressed  sympathy  was  never  lacking.  In- 
variably he  was  followed  by  such  consoling  remarks,  "Two  bits  you  come !  Two 
to  one  you  throw  a  seven.  Hooverize  a  little  there  old  man;  you'll  need  that 
chow  when  you  hit  the  trenches!  Why  waste  .that  mutton?  The  fish  don't  need 
it !  Etc."  But  the  boys  were  good  sports  with  that  unfailing  sense  of  humor 
that  has  meant  so  much  to  the  .Vmerican  fighting  man.  They'd  line  up  along  the 
rail  and  then  engage  in  gambling  on  who  could  throw  "it''  the  farthest. 

This  daily  drill  was  ended  by  the  blowing  of  "recall''  at  each  end  of  the 
boat,  and  never  was  there  a  more  welcome  sound  from  a  bugle.  One  afternoon 
we  assembled  as  usual,  the  half  hour  passed  and  no  recall  sounded.  We  waited 
and  waited,  growing  grumblingly  impatient  It  was  hard  enough  to  stand  that 
grind  for  half  an  hour  without  being  imposed  upon  by  a  "gold-brick"  bugler. 
Finally  a  detail  was  sent  in  search  of  the  "wind-jammer."  After  a  short  search 
he  was  found  at  a  faucet  trying  to  rid  the  interior  of  his  "sleep-disturber"  of 
some  partly  pre-digested  particles  of  food  that  interfered  seriously  with  the 
production  of  sound.  It  appears  that  just  as  he  started  the  vainly  awaited  call 
his  stomach  erupted  and  the  overflow  clogged  the  bugle.  He  was  told  in  no 
tender  tones  by  the  victims  of  his  mishap  to  "get  a  drum,  a  rattle,  a  can,  if  he 
couldn't  blow  the  calls." 

Another  amusing  incident  in  the  pallid  comedy  was  enacted  down  in  the 
sleeping  and  eating  quarters.  At  our  table  we  had  a  large  tub  in  which  we 
washed  our  mess  kits.  One  morning  three  of  the  fellows  were  overcome  before 
they  could  reach  the  upper  deck.  One  stretched  out  on  the  table  with  his  head 
hung  over  the  tub,  the  other  two  were  on  their  knees  and  the  three  of  them  in 
mutual  woe  poured  out  their  "sorrows"  into  the  friendly  tub.  The  spectacle 
would  have  tickled  a  smile  on  the  face  of  the  sphinx.  After  each  ebulition  three 
heads  would  rise  and  look  dolefully  in  each  others  face,  and  then  in  perfect 
cadence  dip  to  another  eruption. 

But  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  life  on  board  was  a  continuous  gloom.  Of 
course  "Haltershank,"  "Tiny  and  Corky"  will  never  say  that  it  was  other  than  a 
horrible  experience.  Yet  the  majority  hold  a  different  and  brighter  view.  There 
was  always  a  daily  program  of  games  and  sports  in  which  boxing  contests  figured 
as  the  outstanding  events.  A  regular  tournament  was  conducted  and  prizes  given 
to  the  winners.  There  was  also  an  abundance  of  good  reading  material  on 
board.  A  "Y"  man  had  set  up  shop  and  he  had  with  him  a  voluminous  stock  of 
varied  reading  matter.  And  with  this  went  the  miscellaneous  output  of  humor- 
ous incidents  that  kept  us  laughing  two-thirds  of  the  time. 

Co-incident  with  the  subsidence  of  seasickness  the  wonted  cheerfulness  re- 
turned and  all  on  board  settled  down  to  enjoy  the  many  and  varied  impressions 


THE     LIAISON  87 

experienced  in  ocean  voyaging.  Of  course  the  scene  as  a  whole  never  changes, 
yet  there  is  always  a  newness,  a  varying  panorama  of  emotional  efifccts.  One 
of  the  most  pronounced  of  these  was  the  seeming  lack  of  progress.  Each  morn- 
ing we  came  on  deck,  glanced  over  at  the  other  ships  and  felt  that  we  had  not 
moved  an  inch ;  the  same  sky,  the  same  water,  ships  in  the  same  formation,  not 
the  least  sign  of  change.  Another  was  an  infinite  feeling  of  loneliness.  Around 
us  the  vastness  of  titantic  waters  and  only  the  far  reaches  of  sky  in  view,  the 
infinitesimal  nature  of  man  was  oppressively  apparent.  What  mattered  it  to  old 
ocean  in  the  long  still  lapse  of  ages,  if  puny  man  did  struggle  pompously  and  vain- 
gloriously  in  little  wars  that  left  not  a  scar  on  his  ancient  bosom?  He  would 
still  sweep  on  in  the  serenity  of  his  infinite  strength,  laughing  at  the  ubiquitous 
frenzy  of  man  in  his  inane  process  of  self  destruction. 

July  2,  1918.  This  date  in  itself  has  no  universal  significance,  but  all  on 
board  the  Nestor  that  day  will  never  forget  it.  For  noon  mess  on  this  day  we 
had  one  of  the  long  looked  for  "EXTRAS."  It  was  (let  me  whisper  it)  TRIPE. 
By  this  time  we  were  all  ravenously  hungry,  usually  cleaning  up  everything  edible 
in  sight,  but  this  day  the  whole  course  remained  untouched  upon  the  table.  It 
was  impossible  to  get  close  enough  to  eat.  Now,  for  the  benefit  of  those  unin- 
itiated in  the  mysteries  of  English  cusine  I'll  try  to  explain  the  nature  of  this 
delectable  delicacy  called  tripe.  My  knowledge  of  it  is  general  and  extraneous, 
its  diagnosis  being  conducted  chiefly  through  the  sense  of  smell,  and  that  at  a  safe 
and  comfortable  distance.  At  the  time  Uncle  Sam,  not  dreaming  of  any  such 
contingency,  had  not  issued  gas  masks  and  without  some  such  protection  it  was 
out  of  the  question  to  get  close  enough  for  a  thorough  and  experimental  analysis. 
A.nd  not  being  of  the  species  buzzard  I  was  unable  to  use  taste  in  any  organic 
study  of  any  of  its  integral  parts,  for  only  that  bird  could  digestively  disintegrate 
it  and  live.  Judging  from  a" distance  its  integrement  was  of  a  viscous  composition 
resembling  the  corrugated  lining  of  a  ruminant  stomach.  There  is  no  way  to 
describe  the  odor  because  a  comparison  cannot  be  found  in  the  category  of  smells ; 
though  its  reaction  with  air  emits  a  very  volatile  gas  of  great  penetrative  potency 
and  nauseous  to  a  superlative  degree.  Rumor  has  it  that  the  Germans  first  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  chlor-picrin  from  its  use  in  prison  camps. 

Its  deadly  effects  were  first  noticed  in  those  who  carried  the  food  from  the 
galley.  This  day,  deathly  pale  and  wabbling  at  the  knees,  they  staggered  down 
stairs  and  deposited  their  load  upon  the  tables.  We  were  mystified  at  their 
appearance,  feeling  sure  that  seasickness  had  departed  for  good.  Without  sus- 
picion, however,  we  started  as  usual  for  the  festive  board,  but  one  whiff  was 
enough.  A  wild  scramble  for  the  upper  decks  followed  and  a  little  later  the  lx)ys 
were  passing  out  a  prolific  feed  to  the  fish.  .Soon  a  call  for  volunteers  was 
sounded  and  a  few  cast  iron  stomachs  stepped  forward.  Going  below  they  secured 
the  deadly  stuff'  and  tossed  it  overboard.  That  was  the  last  time  we  were  caught 
napping.  In  no  way  could  the  ships'  cooks  persuade  us  to  accept  again  their 
culinary  efforts  in  that  particular  dish.  To  this  day  we  can't  understand  why  they 
became  peeved,  for  surely  every  one  has  the  right  of  self-defense. 


88  THELIAISON 

On  this  voyage  we  took  part  in  i^erhaps  the  most  unique  celebration  of  Inde- 
pendence Day  ever  staged.  Xever  was  the  place  more  appropriate  or  the  occasion 
more  significant.  Here  were  soldiers  from  the  Cradle  land  of  Liberty,  going 
far  from  home  to  combat  the  most  powerful  and  aggressive  enemy  of  freedom 
the  world  has  ever  known.  Three  centuries  before  our  sires  had  set  a  westward 
course  across  this  self-same  ocean  to  seek  a  land  wherein  the  seeds  of  Liberty 
could  grow  to  perfect  fruition ;  now  their  progeny,  loyal  to  the  trust  of  the  past, 
was  recrossing  to  carry  back  to  the  racked  and  tortured  Motherland  the  insuper- 
able strength  of  a  free  people  dedicated  to  the  cause  of  right.  And  on  this  our 
Nation's  natal  day  we  were  nearing  the  very  waters  where  had  been  perpetrated 
the  hellish  crime  that  led  us  to  the  Great  Decision.  It  seemed  that  out  of  the 
blue  depths  we  could  hear  the  anguished  voices  of  murdered  women  and  children 
of  our  own  blood  and  land,  calling  upon  us  to  avenge.  On  that  beautiful  day,  in 
those  hallowed  waters,  we  felt  their  pleading  presence,  heard  their  call,  and 
dedicated  ourselves  anew  to  the  task  before  us. 

A  good  program  for  the  day  was  carried  out.  The  stern  gun  on  each  boat 
fired  a  salute  and  Old  Glory  was  run  up  to  the  masthead,  the  Union  Jack  taking 
second  place.  Then  came  religious  services,  after  which  there  were  speeches  by 
some  of  the  notables  on  board.  Two  of  these,  characteristic  and  full  of  signif- 
icance, deserve  special  mention.  It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  we  were  on  board 
a  British  ship,  a  country  with  which  we  had  twice  successfully  waged  war  over 
causes  involving  the  principal  of  freedom.  And  though  much  is  said  to  the  con- 
trary, there  has  always  been  more  or  less  enmity  between  the  Britisher  and  the 
American,  as  individuals. 

Representing  America  in  this  program  was  Major  Ralph  Cole,  former  Ohio 
Congressman  and  a  statesman  of  breadth  and  ability.  In  an  eloquent  address  he 
outlined  the  causes  compelling  America  to  a  just  resort  to  arms ;  her  steadfast 
purpose ;  her  gigantic  preparations ;  her  grim  determination  and  unwavering 
faith  in  ultimate  victory.  Then  warmly  and  with  depth  of  feeling  he  eulogized 
the  part  the  "Sea  Girt  Isle"  was  playing  to  stay  the  iron  hand  of  despotism.  En- 
thusiastically he  called  attention  to  the  new  spirit  that  had  risen  between  England 
and  America,  the  growing  friendship,  the  deep  affection  for  each  other,  the  loy- 
alty and  trust  growing  out  of  heroic  sacrifice  in  a  common  cause ;  pictured  the 
final  welding  of  the  two  great  English-speaking  peoples,  through  the  shedding  of 
Yank  and  Tommy  blood,  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  divine  abnegation  for  human- 
ity's sake.  Closing,  he  offered  a  worthy  panegyric  to  the  American  soldier  going 
over  seas  to  fight  not  only  for  his  OAvn  homeland,  but  for  the  world. 

In  behalf  of  the  British  Empire,  Dr.  Brown,  the  ship's  doctor,  ably  and 
graciously  returned  the  compliment  paid  his  native  land.  The  man  himself  is  a 
characteristic  product  of  Old  Scotland's  bonny  hills,  incarnating  the  bru.squcrie. 
the  stolid  humor,  spontaneous  cheerfulness  and  kindliness  that  are  the  very  es- 
sence of  Scottish  life.  Daily  his  massive  face,  bright  scarlet  under  its  salt  tan, 
like  the  rising  sun  brought  cheer  and  encouragement  to  the  downcast.  Unfailing 
were  the  slap  on  the  back  and  the  witty  joke ;  and  the  merry  twinkle  in  his  eyes 
was  deadly  to  the  blues. 


THELIAISON  89 

This  address  was  forceful,  lilunt,  and  to  the  point.  Briefly  and  wittily  he 
touched  upon  our  two  collisions  in  the  past,  aptly  leading  it  to  a  prophecy  of  Ger- 
many's ultimate  fate.  He  spoke  of  the  mammoth  mistake  the  War  Lord  made 
when  he  aroused  the  Giant  of  the  West ;  the  joy  our  entrance  into  the  war  brought 
to  despairing  Europe ;  the  new  spirit  born  among  the  Allies,  and  the  bright  hope 
and  certain  faith  in  a  victorious  end.  Pointing  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  he  con- 
cluded, "American  soldiers,  beneath  the  rampant  folds  of  that  unsullied  emblem, 
you  will  struggle  to  a  glorious  triumph.  On  many  fields  of  battle  your  heroic 
blood  will  stain  the  crimson  bars  a  holier  hue.  You  go  to  meet  a  cruel  foe,  but 
soon  he  will  learn  the  potency  of  your  hand.  For  you,  the  youth  and  flower  of  a 
land  of  illimitable  might,  will  drive  the  dirty  Huns  through  the  very  gates  of  Hell. 
My  prayers,  England's  prayer  is,  God  bless  you  every  one !" 

Various  physical  sports,  featured  by  a  lively  boxing  contest,  ended  perhaps 
the  most  impressive  Fourth  any  of  us  had  ever  experienced.  The  occasion 
brought  to  us  the  true  solemnity  of  the  day's  meaning,  and  though  symbolic  of 
England's  defeat  and  America's  victory,  these  two  great  peoples  joined  whole- 
heartedly in  mutual  celebration.     Who  can  measure  the  meaning  to  the  future? 

After  a  few  days  the  egregious  appetite  of  the  soldier  asserted  its  old-time 
form  to  such  an  extent  that  the  galley  issue  only  half  satisfied  it.  Then  began 
the  nightly  clandestine  searches  for  food  in  the  unexplored  parts  of  the  boat. 
Certain  places  on  the  ship  were  strictly  "defendu"  to  the  Buck,  and  he  was  out 
of  luck  should  his  friend,  the  M.  P.,  catch  him  out  of  bounds.  At  first  in  our 
prowlings  we  discovered  the  "coolies'  "  kitchen  and  there  were  able  to  buy  cakes 
and  sandwiches.  This  place  was  on  the  stern  end  of  the  boat,  and  through  a  little 
two-by-nothing  window  we  transacted  our  esoteric  business  with  all  the  secrecy 
of  a  "blind  tiger." 

But  the  daintiest  and  costliest  find  was  made  down  in  that  part  of  the  boat 
devoted  to  appeasing  the  delicate  and  discriminating  appetites  of  our  officers. 
Some  hero  braved  the  cordon  of  ev^r  watchful  M.  P.'s  around  the  Innier  Shrine 
and  came  back  within  a  big  ten-inch  apple  pie,  tastefully  sugared  and  cinnamoned. 
Immediately  he  was  elected  Mayor  with  "three  rousing  cheers  from  the  angry 
mob."  But  he  didn't  intend  his  exploit  to  go  without  netting  him  a  fair  com- 
pensation. In  no  way  could  he  be  induced  to  divulge  the  location  of  his  "find," 
though  he  shrewdly  suggested  that  he  would  buy  and  deliver  the  pies  for  a 
reasonable  commission,  say,  one  quarter  out  of  each  pie.  This  drew  forth  an 
angry  howl,  but  the  discoverer  was  immutable  in  his  price ;  it  was  either  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  commission  or  no  pie,  just  as  you  please.  Of  course  we  consented, 
and  the  business  of  pie  sales  and  delivery  began.  W^ell  now,  they  were  hard  to 
take!  So  much  did  we  enjoy  them  that  at  first  we  didn't  notice  the  exhorbitant 
price,  but  soon  pies  at  "$1  per"  knocked  a  hole  in  our  funds  that  brought  us  to 
life.  However,  the  temptation  was  too  great,  and  we  "rode"  till  the  last  two- 
bits  melted  in  crispy  sweetness  down  our  throats.  Of  course  we  were  "fish,"  and 
of  the  "blue-gill"  type  at  that.  But  eating  with  the  soldier  is  like  "shooting 
craps" — money  is  a  mere  trifle.     He  will  "shoot  a  bale  of  Francs"  as  quickly 


90  THE     LIAISON 

as  a  centime,  and  do  it  as  unconcernedly  as  any  "bear"  ever  bucked  one  across 
Wall  Street.  \\'ith  his  '"thirty  bucks  per"  he  is  a  puzzling  study  in  high  finance, 
ready  to  "shoot  the  moon,"  or  "let  'er  all  ride."  So  it  is  with  eats ;  if  he  wants 
a  pie  and  it  is  "getable"  he  will  have  it  if  it  takes  his  last  "sous." 

Soon  our  time  at  sea  lead  us  to  believe  that  we  were  nearing  land.  More 
and  more  we  turned  our  wistful  gaze  towards  the  east,  searching  eagerly  for  man's 
natural  element,  hoping  that  cloud  bank  in  the  far  distance  was  not  another  dis- 
appointment. Rumors  of  this  nature,  "the  Captain  told  the  Mate,  the  Mate  told 
the  crew,  and  the  crew  told  me,  and  I  know  that  it  must  be  so,"  went  their  rounds 
in  expressing  the  various  dates  for  landing.  We  were  as  garrulous,  excited  and 
expectant  as  children  nearing  grandmother's  for  the  first  time,  and  all  were  won- 
dering if  we'd  know  land  when  we  saw  it  again. 

At  last,  on  the  eleventh  day  out,  we  were  informed  that  on  the  following 
morning  land  would  be  visible.  We  had  learned  by  this  time  that  we  were  in 
high  latitude  and  that  our  course  would  carry  us  through  the  Xorth  Channel  and 
down  the  Irish  Sea.  This  was  done  as  a  precaution  against  submarine.  So  that 
night  in  our  happiest  frame  of  mind  we  sought  our  hammocks.  As  early  as  2 :00 
a.m.  we  scrambled  out  and  climbed  to  the  upper  decks.  An  indescribable  picture, 
surpassing  even  our  eager  expectancy,  lay  before  us.  Due  to  that  peculiar  phe- 
nomenon of  the  far  north  it  was  as  light  as  a  sunless  day;  objects  at  far  distances 
being  clearly  discernable.  There  was  the  faintest  ripple  on  the  green  waters  and 
a  slight  breeze  with  all  the  freshness  of  dawn  that  whispered  of  the  presence  of 
verdant  fields  and  high  mountains.  It  was  not  the  odorless  air  swept  from  the 
ocean,  but  there  was  virile  tang  of  soil,  of  living,  growing  things.  And  even 
before  we  saw,  we  sensed  land.  There  it  was  to  port  and  starboard,  dim  in  out- 
line in  that  dawn  light,  yet  clearly  recognizable.  Out  on  the  horizon  to  port  the 
craggy  peaks  of  Scotland's  hills  loomed  up  in  somber  silhouette,  their  bases  dipping 
to  the  very  water's  edge.  Here  and  there  out  of  the  shadowy  depths  of  bosky 
inlets,  quaint  fisher's  villages,  white  and  red,  peeped  in  half  timid  wonderment; 
green  fields,  seemingly  suspended  in  the  very  air,  checkered  the  gray  hills  beyond ; 
and  a  low  hung  haze,  tenuous  and  purpled  with  the  coming  dawn,  gave  to  it  all 
the  enchanting  hue  of  fairyland. 

On  our  starboard  was  the  Emerald  Isle,  wave  lashed  promontories  and 
jagged  headlands,  that  far  northern  part  of  untamable  spirits  and  adventurous 
blood  that  so  often  infested  our  'tx)y  dreams  with  the  romances  and  wild  deeds 
of  the  Rob  Roy. 

These  scenes  created  a  vast  restlessness  on  board.  There  was  an  unceasing 
movement  from  one  side  of  the  ship  to  the  other,  everyone  eager  to  take  it  all  in, 
fearing  some  beautiful  picture  would  pass  on  the  opposite  side  unnoticed.  After 
so  many  days  of  ocean's  grey  monotony,  the  reaction  to  these  color  effects  verged 
towards  super-animation.  Conversation  assumed  a  rosier  hue,  everyone  wanted 
to  talk,  and  the  merest  commonplaces  engaged  friends  in  discussions  of  length. 

"Why  it  looks  just  like  any  other  land ;  nothing  strange  about  foreign  soil,'' 
some  one  remarked.     There  you  have  in  a  nutshell  the  inadverdant  confession 


THELIAISON  91 

of  the  attitude  with  which  one  approaches  a  new  land.  Ever  notice  how  your 
imagination  will  picture  it?  Absolutely  different,  no  likeness  whatever  to  your 
homeland,  the  very  soil  and  contours  strange.  You  feel  as  though  you  are  going 
into  a  new  world  completely  apart  from  the  earth  you  know ;  going  to  see  hills 
that  are  not  the  same,  rivers  of  a  novel  kind,  and  fields  of  a  new  design.  Truth- 
fully you  are  a  wee  bit  disappointed  to  find  that  they  have  grass  and  trees  and 
rocks  the  same  as  they  have  in  America,  and  you  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the 
word  foreign  is  a  misnomer. 

Soon  the  deep  purple  on  the  distant  hills  turned  to  lighter  tones  of  mottled 
grey  and  gold,  and  crimson  streamers  far  flung  across  the  zenith  betokened  com- 
ing day.  Then  from  out  behind  the  Scottish  hills  the  sun  appeared  and  drove 
the  morning  mists  into  feathery  masses  that  floated  in  tranquil  laziness  through 
the  blue  depths  above.  Foggy  valleys  cleared  and  the  land  on  either  side  lay 
before  us  in  all  its  sunlit  splendor.  The  channel  widened  into  the  broad  outlines 
of  the  sea  and  the  shore  lines  receded  as  we  steamed  southward. 

Looking  ahead  we  saw  what  appeared  to  be  just  mere  black  spots  on  the 
water's  surface ;  but  as  we  drew  nearer  to  them  they  took  on  the  f ormidaljle  yet 
graceful  lines  of  English  "chasers,"  or,  as  the  ship's  doctor  so  fondly  characterized 
them  "Britain's  Bull-dogs."  Then  we  knew  that  we  were  in  waters  infested 
with  the  hidden  dangers  of  the  Hun.  This  was  the  English  convoy  come  to  meet 
and  escort  us  to  port.  Much  we  had  heard  of  the  fame  of  the  "sub-chasing"  wing 
of  England's  great  navy,  and  the  sight  of  them  created  a  great  deal  of  excitement. 
Twenty-four  in  number ;  they  seemed  to  be  everywhere,  all  around  us,  a  perfect 
cordon  of  safety  defense,  darting  here  and  there  keenly  alert,  daring  the  skulking 
sub  to  show  itself. 

And  we  were  not  to  be  denied  our  portion  of  excitement.  About  2  :00  p.m.  a 
destroyer  in  the  van  "unwatered"  a  submarine ;  then  the  greatest  activity  ensued, 
projector  signals  darting  from  boat  to  boat  like  miniature  lightening  flashes.  The 
destroyers  on  our  side  of  the  boat  started  forward  at  full  speed ;  gun  reports 
were  heard  and  we  could  see  the  upward  curling  smoke.  It  was  a  battle  with 
Hun  submarines  and  they  were  no  match  for  the  "Bull  dogs."  Soon  all  was  quiet 
and  the  communique  came  back ;  "an  encounter  with  German  U-boats ;  one  sub 
destroyed ;  no  cause  for  alarm."  Well,  we  breathed  easier  when  this  cheery 
message  drove  from  our  minds  the  haunting  visions  of  swimming  through  icy 
waters  to  the  distant  shores. 

All  day  we  steamed  southward,  in  the  late  afternoon  passing  the  beautiful 
Isle  of  ]Man,  a  veritable  gem  of  clay  and  green  in  its  watery  setting,  by  far  the 
most  enrapturing  picture  seen.  There  was  a  strong  urge  within  to  jump  over- 
board, swim  to  it  and  remain  forever — seeking  it  as  a  sanctuary  far  removed 
from  the  cares  of  a  distraught  world. 

Night  came  again — our  last  on  the  Nestor— and  we  went  happily  to  our 
hammocks  with  the  assurance  that  next  morning  would  find  us  in  port.  Sure 
enough  next  morning  found  our  boat  grounded  in  the  river  Mersy  at  low  tide, 
and  on  either  side  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  stretched  the  grey  docks  of  the 
second   largest   seaport   in  the   world — Liverpool.     Countless   tugs   were   pufl:ing 


92  THELIAISON 

from  shore  to  shore,  and  now  and  then  a  ferry  boat  would  pass,  loaded  with 
pretty  girls  who  welcomed  us  royally.  The  city  with  its  red  tile,  myriad  chim- 
neys and  mysterious  air  of  "ye  olden  times,"  held  our  eager  attention.  We  were 
"boiling  over"  to  disembark,  but  (confound  the  perversity  of  Nature),  we  had  to 
nurse  our  seething  impatience  as  best  we  could,  for  the  tide  was  not  high  enough 
for  a  landing  until  noon.  So  we  waited,  watching  the  water  creep  up  on  the  sides 
of  the  ship  inch  by  inch  with  as  much  gusto  as  we'd  watch  a  marathon  in  snail- 
land. 

But  finally  the  required  profundity  was  reached  and  we  docked.  Shortly 
we  disembarked  and  then  followed  the  long  tiresome  hike  through  the  city  to 
Camp  Knotty  Ash,  Liverpool's  famous  rest  camp  for  soldiers  en  route.  It  was 
here  that  we  first  saw  the  realistic  horrors  of  war,  and  sensed  its  awful  curse. 
Hundreds  of  children,  ragged  and  unkempt,  the  cruel  pinch  of  long  endured 
hunger  in  their  faces,  welcomed  us  with  the  joyous  fervency  accorded  a  deliverer. 
I'ntold  numbers  of  young  men,  one-legged  or  one-armed,  favored  us  with  a 
smile  wistfully  sad  in  contemplation  of  the  fate  that  awaited  many  of  us.  Ill- 
dressed  women,  many  weeping  and  hysterical,  surged  along  our  column  in  a 
tumultuous  welcome.  It  was  hard  to  restrain  the  tears  and  into  many  hearts 
crept  a  savage  undying  hate  for  the  hellish  perpetrators  of  the  crimes  before  us. 

But  I'm  running  the  good  ship  Xestor  aground.  My  story  should  have 
ended  at  the  wharf.  However,  if  I  can  run  her  aground,  and  keep  her  there, 
many  a  Yank  will  be  thankful  from  the  very  depths  of  his  heart. 


OVER  THERE 

"40  HoMMEs  Ou'  8  Cheveaux." 

In  America  a  Knight  of  the  Khaki,  in  traveling  from  camp  to  camp,  is  wont 
to  turn  loose  a  despairing  wail  like  the  last  mournful  howl  of  a  dying  coyote, 
should  we  be  put  to  the  discomfort  of  a  commodious  day-coach.  Many  are  the 
times  that  he  is  tortured  to  near  distraction  by  premature  sensations  of  crowded 
and  stuffy  quarters,  cramped  joints,  and  sleepless  nights.  Think  of  it — two  whole 
men,  big,  broad-shouldered,  thick-chested  soldiers,  must  occupy  one  seat,  and  in 
any  day-coach  there's  only  comfortable  room  for  one  head  at  the  window. 
Shades  of  the  sleeping  martyrs — Patriotism  does  demand  an  awful  price.  Here, 
men  going  gladly  to  die  for  home  and  country,  forced  to  undergo  the  travail  of 
animal  transportation.  It's  too  much — Uncle  Sam  is  heartless And  fol- 
lowing, numberless  and  nameless  imprecations  called  down  in  righteous  wrath 
upon  the  Powers  that  be. 

Such  is  the  attitude  of  the  embryonic  soldier,  fresh  from  cultured  fields 
wherein  they  want  and  childish  whim  are  serfeited  with  over-indulgence,  going 
to  do  battle  in  a  man's  war :  he.  only  a  short  time  since,  a  frequenter  of  the  "pink 
tea,"  a  nurseling  in  the  lap  of  languid  ease.  Untutored  in  the  trials  that  try  the 
staunchest  souls,  untrained  in  the  school  of  gruelling  hardships,  he  fails  to  sense 
the  necessitv  of  the  least  discomfort. 


THELIAISON  93 

But  far  away  in  France  there  was  to  be  an  awakening  which  would  make 
the  day-coach  of  America  look  like  a  palatial  Pullman.  In  the  gradual  evolution 
of  transportation  facilities,  from  the  ancient  and  honored  shank  locomotion  to 
the  winged  Pegasus  of  steel  and  steam,  wonderful  progress  has  been  made.  ^Iile> 
are  now  measured  in  minutes,  and  far  distances  have  ceased  to  be  sources  of 
discomfort  in  travel.  But  alas — (as  the  American  soldier  sees  it),  France,  with 
her  characteristic  trait  for  time-honored  attachments,  became  enamored  with  the 
box-car  and,  as  far  as  we  have  knowledge,  has  not  yet  forsaken  her  first  love. 

Often  had  we  heard  that  this  was  the  prevailing  "mode  de  voyage"  for 
American  soldiers  in  France,  but  we  only  jeered  at  the  tale  as  a  "poor  line''  from 
some  over-imaginative  Yank  who  wished  to  impress  the  people  back  home  with 
the  terribleness  of  the  hardships  endured. 

It  was  in  Havre  that  we  were  first  introduced  to  the  now  famous  sardine's 
style  of  travel.  One  afternoon,  from  one  of  those  inimitable  "rest  camps," 
where  we  had  been  vegetating  for  two  blissful  days,  we  were  marched  to  a  quaint 
little  station,  mossed  and  greyed  with  the  flight  of  time,  and  entrained  for  our  long 
journey  South.  It  was  a  memorable  hike.  Loaded  down  with  a  pack  originally 
conceived  for  a  horse,  we  swung  through  the  cobble-stoned  streets  of  that  his- 
toric town  with  a  buoyancy  born  of  boyish  eagerness.  Traversing  the  entire 
length  of  the  town  (for  some  unknown  reason  all  camps  are  located  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  railhead),  we  were  finally  and  wearily  "columned"  into  a  little 
court  and  drawn  up  alongside  the  track.  Then  followed  the  usual  efifervescings 
from  the  company  "crabs,"  concerning  delays,  waits,  official  inefficiency,  etc.,  etc. 
The  old  "stuff"  was  passed  around  and  the  usual  "line"  indulged  in,  all  wondering 
when  we  would  entrain. 

Suddenly  someone  espied  over  near  a  long  platform  an  interminable  line  of 
toy-wheeled  box-cars,  each  esthetically  decorated  with  a  neat  little  notice  in 
attractive  white  letters :  "40  Hommes  ou'  8  Cheveaux." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  some  one  asks. 

"Forty  men  and  eight  horses,"  replies  a  wag. 

"What — all  o'  that  mess  in  one  of  them  infant  boxes?  Why,  the  poor 
horses  'ud  never  stand  it." 

In  derisive  unanimity  comes  the  howl,  "You're  in  the  army  now." 

And  so  the  jesting  w^ent  on,  none  believing  that  that  was  our  train. 

Then  like  a  bolt  from  a  blue  sky,  an  officer  began  to  bawl  out  orders.  "Fall 
in ;  line  up  on  the  platform  in  front  of  the  car ;  hurry  it  up ;  forty  men  to  a  car. 
Get  the  rags  out ;  we  leave  in  a  few  minutes." 

Some  mistakes  somewhere.  It  can't  be  possible  that  we  are  going  to  ride  in 
that  outfit.     But  no ;  the  men  are  filing  in. 

Soon  the  sardines  were  ])acked,  the  locomotive  tooted,  and  amid  a  storm  of 
varied  and  mostly  unprintable  expressions,  we  started  for  we  knew  not  where. 
Our  sole  source  of  rumor  and  wild  guesses  was  the  fact  that  it  was  to  be  a  long 
journey.  This  we  knew  because  a  four-day  ration  of  "willy  and  beans  and  punk" 
had  been  stored  on  board. 


94  THELIAISON 

Accepting  the  inevitable  with  characteristic  Yankee  resignation,  the  wonted 
cheerfulness  prevailed  again,  and  the  situation  grew  amusing.  After  arranging 
our  "baggage"  there  was  a  wild  scramble  for  the  observation  sections  of  the 
coach,  the  spacious  sliding  door  of  artistic  simplicity  on  each  side.  Soon  these 
apertures  looked  like  a  hole  in  a  tin  can  through  which  a  bunch  of  angle-worms 
are  trying  to  wriggle  to  liberty.  Each  door  presented  the  appearance  of  a  dis- 
ordered conglomeration  of  heads,  arms  and  legs,  resembling  a  "slum  stew"  a  la 
Cannibal  Isle. 

The  doors  gave  only  a  slight  indication  of  the  breathless  coiigestion  within. 
The  nearest  approach  to  a  simile  is  a  spaghetti-like  ball  of  snakes  buried  away 
in  winter  quarters.  It  was  like  trying  to  solve  a  Chinese  puzzle  to  find  your  own 
legs  in  that  mess  and  many  a  time  a  guy  would  find  himself  chasing  a  cootie  on 
some  part  of  an  anatomy  not  his  own. 

Now  in  this  mode  of  travel  there  are  a  few  problems  pertaining  to  comfort 
that  must  be  solved.  A  most  puzzling  one  of  these  is  sleeping.  However,  after 
much  worry  and  profound  deliberation  the  difficulty  was  solved  by  arranging  the 
tryst  with  Morpheus  in  shifts.  Some  of  the  fellows  would  stand  up  (or  get  out 
and  walk)  while  the  rest  slept  awhile,  and  then  change.  In  this  manner  the  night 
was  worried  through;  and,  but  for  one  very  annoying  exception  the  sleeping  was 
ideal.  We  had  splendid  "downies"  of  smooth,  hard  boards  on  which  to  spread 
our  rolls,  soft  as  eider-down.  In  luxurious  languor  on  these  princely  pallets, 
swept  over  by  the  fragrant  odor  common  to  every  soldier  who  has  ever  handled 
a  "hoof-pick,"  we  were  (or  should  have  been)  lulled  peacefully  to  sleep.  But  in 
France,  for  some  reason,  unknown  and  unexplainable,  there  is  a  tendency  to 
make  the  wheels  an  octogon  shape  instead  of  round.  Imagine  the  effect  on  those 
riding  above  them  on  springs  whose  resiliency  may  be  compared  to  the  oft- 
quoted  "wall  of  adamant."  Every  revolution  of  the  wheels — and  there  were 
millions  of  them — registered  eight  healthy  bumps  upon  some  part  of  the  sensi- 
tive anatomy. 

The  thought  must  not  be  harbored  for  an  instant  that  this  was  a  doleful  and 
agonizing  trip.  There  were  many  and  varied  humorous  incidents  that  kept  the 
spirit  of  jollity  to  the  highest  pitch.  One  such  incident,  or  more  truly  an  accident, 
deserving  of  space  in  this  brief  narration,  is  "Tiny"  Wise's  feet.  Though 
should  this  refer  to  material  space  it  would  require  the  volumes  of  the  Congres- 
sional Library  to  fill  the  bill.  One  not  acquainted  with  these  monster  appendages 
could  easily  mistake  them  for  tanks  ploughing  their  lazy  way  across  an  open  field. 
When  lying  on  his  back  they  resemble  "Pillsbury's  Best"  sign-boards.  In  the 
car  they  consumed  more  space  than  one  man  and  one  set  of  feet  were  rightly 
entitled  to.  Time  and  again  the  fellows  were  compelled  to  swing  up  to  the  cross- 
beams in  order  to  let  Tiny  turn  around.  It  was  the  writer's  misfortune  to  be  caged 
in  the  same  car  with  these  zoological  prodigies.  Never  will  forget  how,  during 
one  night,  I  awoke  with  the  horrible  sensation  that  the  train  had  been  wrecked, 
and  that  I  was  buried  beneath  the  debris.  There  seemed  to  be  an  awful  weight 
crushing  down  upon  my  neck,  and  I  struggled  with  all  my  might  to  remove  it. 
When  nearly  exhausted  sanity  returned,  and  on  examination  I  found  that  it  was 


THELIAISON  95 

only  one  of  Tiny's  dreadnaughts  resting  serenely  across  my  neck,  swung  there 
during  some  restless  moments  in  his  sleep. 

Thus,  through  quaint  villages  of  stone  and  tile ;  through  fresh  green  fields 
copiously  crimsoned  with  myriad  poppies ;  over  quiet  streams  and  placid  deep 
green  canals;  past  herds  of  fattening  cattle  and  seas  of  ripening  grain;  on  south- 
ward we  sped  to  the  France  of  endless  sunshine;  where  the  rich  green  of  vine- 
yards was  just  deepening  into  those  soft  tones  of  purple  and  bronze  and  gold 
indicative  of  Autumn's  abundant  yield.  And  this  our  first  trip  in  the  "40  Hommes 
and  8  Cheveaux"  found  its  end  at  Bordeaux.  Many  such  have  been  taken  since, 
and  not  one  of  them  leaves  a  poignant  memory.  In  our  hearts  there  is  no  bitter- 
ness, no  regret ;  only  a  glad  feeling  for  the  unique  experience,  interest  and 
humor  afforded  vis. 

Echoes  From  French  Barracks. 

"As  long  as  you  can  shake  a  finger  yon  are  not  drunk." 

"Knocked  him  for  a  gooney." 

"I  wish  I  was  home  to  get  some  whipped  cream  and  cake." 

"He's  not  hard,  he's  just  hungry." 

"Aw!     How  do  you  get  that  way?" 

"Have  you  a  cigar   for  the  Major  this  morning?" 

Say,  Pinkie,  do  you  remember  the  time  that  you  and  Max  cooked  on  that  big  German 
stove,  and  the  day  that  you  ran  out  of  rations,  and  you  "went  out  into  'No  Man's  Land' 
and  got  some  cabbage,  turnips  and  onions  and  made  what  we  call  stew"? 

Zip,  the  Bank  Robber. 
Flynn  :     "Kiskits,  wee  !" 

Demmy:  "Now,  Lieutenant,  there's  just  one  thing  I  don't  understand  about  wireless 
telegraphy." 

Harris:     "Just  one?     Oh!  Lord!" 

Did  you  ever  eat  with  your  plate  on  your  lap 
And  your  cup  on  the  ground  by  your  side, 

While  the  cooties  and  bugs  of  species  untold 
Danced    fox-trots   over   your   hide? 


Mac  and  Hank  Go  to  Gas  School. 

By  way  of  explanation  it  might  be  well  to  say  a  few  words  as  to  how  we  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  secure  this  trip.  A  General  Order  of  the  A.  E.  F.  required  each  regiment 
to  send  a  certain  number  of  men  to  Gas  School  at  a  point  in  France,  where  they  could 
profit  by  the  experience  of  officers  who  had  been  at  the  front  and  knew  the  game.  We- 
had  finished  one  school  at  Camp  de  Souge  and  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  gas  and  its  effects, 
but  lacked  the  practical  side  of  it.  So,  for  this,  we  were  sent  to  Army  Gas  School  at 
Langres,  Haute  Marne. 

A  trip  of  this  kind  is  supposed  to  be  a  good  example  of  "business  before  pleasure," 
but  it  proved  to  be  one  of  pleasure,  business  and  then  some  more  pleasure,  for  our  trip, 
both  going  and  returning,  was  a  great  and  enjoyable  experience.  We  carried,  besides  our 
packs,  side  arms,  gas  masks  and  helmets,  the  usual  well  known  rations  of  American  white 


96  THE     LIAISON 

bread.  Boston's  favorite  fruit  and  monkey  meat — enough  for  one  day's  travel.  Our  tickets 
called  for  second  class  passage.  The  train  was  scheduled  to  leave  at  11:30,  but,  owing 
to  a  lengthy  argument  between  Hank  and  a  cafe  cashier,  we  arrived  at  the  station  too 
late  to  secure  second  class  compartments.  The  only  room  left  was  a  part  of  a  first  class 
compartment  and  baggage  car.  We  couldn't  see  the  baggage  car  at  all,  so  tried  the  first 
class  stuff.  Here  we  made  ourselves  at  home,  put  our  packs  in  the  racks  above  the  seats 
and  awaited  results. 

A  first  class  compartment  on  a  French  train  is  classy  and  has  every  convenience  of  a 
modern  limousine.  Its  two  massive,  comfortable  seats  face  each  other  and  are  upholstered 
in  a  soft  heavy  material  with  fancy  lace  pads  over  the  backs.  The  compartments  are 
connected  by  means  of  a  narrow  hall  extending  the  full  length  of  the  car  and  having  ^ 
door  at  each  end — the  only  means  of  exit  on  this  side  of  the  car.  Heavy  glass  windows 
protected  by  a  brass  rail,  provide  an  excellent  view  of  the  passing  country. 

In  such  a  compartment  as  this  we  had  voluntarily  put  ourselves  "at  ease."  Very  soon, 
however,  we  were  called  to  ''attention"  by  a  portly,  highly  decorated  Frenchman,  who 
asked  us  for  our  tickets.  We  had  looked  for  this  but  tried  to  appear  as  innocent  as  possible, 
hi  characteristic  French  fashion  lie  waved  his  arms  by  way  of  showing  that  he  wanted  us 
to  "sortez  tout  suite. "  Of  course  in  a  case  like  this  it  was  policy  for  us  to  not  understand 
at  all  and  to  sit  tight.  Our  friend  with  the  brass  buttons  worked  himself  up  to  a  high 
pitch  of  excitement,  but  finally  realized  that  he  was  not  making  the  least  impression  on 
us  and  passed  on. 

Soon  after  this  we  became  acquainted  with  the  other  occupants  of  the  compartment. 
Our  little  fra\-  had  afforded  them  much  amusement  and  no  introductions  were  necessary. 
The  party  was  composed  of  three  French  N.  C.  O.'s  and  a  French  civilian  with  his  wife. 
By  the  aid  of  our  French  books  we  were  able  to  "parlez"  a  little  with  them  until  about 
1  o'clock,  when  we  prepared  t&  eat  lunch.  We  had  often  heard  that  the  French  were 
fond  of  American  white  bread  but  did  not  know  how  they  would  take  to  the  rest  of  our 
menu.  They  took  to  it  all  right,  somewhat  to  our  misfortune,  for  it  was  not  until  we  had 
disposed  of  more  than  half  of  our  rations  that  all  seemed  satisfied.  Then  the  N.  C.  O.'s 
produced  the  finishing  touches  for  our  little  lunch,  by  bringing  to  light  three  canteens  of 
sweet  French  wine.  With  this  added  refreshment,  we  smoked  and  talked  until  our  train 
arrived,  about  6:30  at  Tours,  where  we  were  to  change  cars. 

The  M.  P.'s  here  were  possessed  with  a  high  sense  of  duty  and  prevented  us  from 
leaving  the  station  to  see  the  town.  While  eating  supper  at  the  depot  cafe  we  noticed 
that  the  French  soldiers  looked  longingly  at  our  big  loaf  of  white  bread  lying  on  the 
table.  When  a  French  Major,  sitting  at  the  next  table  so  far  forgot  his  rank  as  to  ask  us 
to  sell  him  some  of  our  punk,  our  sympathies  got  the  best  of  us  and  we  gave  him  enough 
for  his  supper. 

Our  train  left  Tours  for  Langres  about  8:30.  Nothing  of  any  note  happened  on  the 
way  and  Langres  wts  reached  just  in  time  to  catch  a  truck  out  to  the  gas  school.  There 
we  were  assigned  to  bunks  and  soon  turned  in  for  the  night.  The  following  day  we  lis- 
tened to  a  series  of  lectures  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  time  getting  acquainted  with  our 
comrades  and  our  newly  issued  rifles.  Now  most  of  us  were  Artillerpiien  and  were 
about  as  graceful  with  a  rifle  as  a  doughboy  would  be  around  a  seventy-five.  Some  of 
the  fellows  dropped  their  rifles  on  their  toes  and  some  persisted  in  jabbing  their  friends 
in  the  ribs  or  eyes  every  time  they  performed  the  daily  duty  of  the  manual  of  arms. 

The  school  was  located  on  the  crest  of  a  hill  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  deep  valleys 
with  little  villages  and  farm  houses  scattered  here  and  there.  The  Marne  river  runs 
through  one  valley  which  is  particularly  rich  for  farming.  One  evening  we  walked  out  to 
the  edge  of  this  valley  to  watch  the  sun  set.  a  scene  of  beauty  fit  for  an  artist's  brush. 
The  sun,  partly  hidden  by  the  distant  horizon,  cast  a  purple  haze  over  the  valley  and  the 
red   tiled   roofs   so   typical   of   French   villages   appeared   here   and   there   like   splotches   of 


THELIAISON  97 

crimson.  On  the  hour  the  chimes  from  the  various  churches  pealed  forth  the  time,  while 
the  Marne,  so  famous  in  history,  flowed  on  in  a  stillness  that  expressed  peace  rather  than 
the  raging  of  battle.  Sitting  there  watching  it  all,  we  more  nearly  appreciated  the  love  of 
country  that  makes  the  French  fight  so  nobly. 

Perhaps  a  brief  description  of  our  duties  for  one  day  will  give  you  a  vague  idea  of 
life  at  a  gas  school.  We  will  pick  Wednesday,  the  big  day  when  our  night  problem  was 
reviewed  by  an  army  of  officers  ranking  from  Colonel  down.  Reveille  came  at  7 :30  with 
roll  call  and  "present  arms."  Mess  was  the  next  formation  with  each  of  the  two 
companies  (four  platoons  to  a  company)  occupying  its  own  part  of  the  mess  hall.  The 
sergeant  in  charge  had  a  way  of  giving  "left  face"  on  meal  and  "right  face"  the  next 
so  that  each  end  of  the  company  would  have  an  equal  chance  at  the  grub.  We  were  in 
the  middle  of  the  company  and  so  were  S.  O.  L.  on  this  deal.  Setting  up  exercises  helped 
to  digest  our  mess  and  then  came  a  lecture  with  notes  to  be  taken  and  handed  in  for 
grading. 

After  the  lecture  we  marched  out  to  the  drill  field  for  gas-mask  drill,  which  usually 
consisted  of  squads  east  and  west,  and  various  games  while  wearing  the  mask.  Putting 
the  mask  on  by  counts  was  also  a  popular  diversion.  One  of  our  instructors  was  a  Scotch 
sergeant  who  had  served  all  through  the  war  in  the  Scotch  Highlanders.  He  wore  the 
native  kilts  and  boasted  three  wound  stripes.  This  "chappy"  had  the  persistent  habit  of 
throwing  gas  grenades  near  us  when  we  least  expected  them,  making  us  put  our  masks  on 
in  a  realistic  way.  On  our  two  hour  hikes,  wearing  the  respirator,  old  Scotty  was  our  only 
salvation.  He  had  a  heart  and  would  hike  us  about  twenty  minutes,  then  take  us  to  some 
shady  spot,  give  "remove  masks"  and  watch  our  grateful  faces  appear.  Then  he  would 
tell  us  of  his  early  experiences  in  the  war  game  while  we  rested  for  the  return  trip  to  camp. 
Following  drill  each  morning  we  would  go  through  the  gas  chamber,  in  this  way  getting 
acquainted  with  the  odors  of  every  gas  used  excepting  mustard.  We  got  a  whiflf  of  a 
light  concentration  of  this  one  day,  in  the  lecture  hall,  where  it  was  kept  in  a  large  cylinder. 
Some  of  the  fellows  who  had  bad  colds  sniffed  too  long  and  as  a  result  did  bunk  fatigue 
the  rest  of  the  day.  Taking  wind  observations  and  handing  in  our  reports  completed 
our  work  for  the  morning. 

When  the  dinner  of  evaporated  potatoes  and  stewed  salmon,  which  appeared  rather 
regularly,  had  been  disposed  of,  we  were  supposed  to  be  in  a  fit  state  of  mind  for  a  lecture. 
A  second  lecture  was  handed  out  to  us  before  the  afternoon  was  over.  There  was  a  two- 
hour  hike,  wearing  masks,  sandwiched  in  to  relieve  the  monotony.  Finally  came  the  pre- 
sentation of  a  pick  and  shovel,  in  preparation  for  the  night's  problem.  These  problems 
were  chronic,  coming  almost  every  night.  As  their  purpose  was  to  represent  a  doughboy 
cloud  gas  attack,  one  company  set  the  guns  and  projectors  and  fixed  the  ammunition  for  the 
Stokes  mortars.  The  other  company  occupied  the  trenches  and  prepared  for  the  attack 
by  posting  sentries  and  fixing  gas  alarms.  When  these  preparations  for  the  night  manoeuver 
were  completed  all  hands  ate  a  lunch  and  took  a  little  rest  before  the  fire-works  started. 

About  seven  o'clock  on  this  particular  night  the  officers  arrived  accompanied  by  a 
band.  The  concert  was  enjoyed  by  all  who  were  not  shooting  craps  in  their  barracks. 
Lieut.  Payne,  a  snappy  bird  of  small  stature  and  "beaucoup"  pep,  was  in  charge  of  the  officers 
and  the  way  he  handled  them  showed  his  ability  as  an  instructor.  Colonels  and  Lieutenants 
alike  were  shown  no  mercy,  as  he  gave  them  a  short  course  in  gas-mask  drill,  and  then 
lined  them  all  up  behind  the  offensive  company  to  watch  the  work.  This  company  made 
the  attack  while  half  of  the  others  went  into  the  trenches  and  half  waited  as  a  relief  party. 
The  men  in  the  trenches  posted  their  gas  sentries  and  reinforced  their  defences.  At  the 
first  sign  of  the  attack  the  sentries  gave  the  alarm  and  the  strict  routine  of  a  gas  attack 
was  carried  out.  The  relief  party  arrived  after  the  first  attack  and  took  our  places,  following 
our  methods  of  defense,  and  the  problem  continued.  The  one  casualty  of  the  night's 
problem  was  a  sergeant  who  failed  to  get  his  mask  on  before  a  gas  cloud  reached  him. 
He  fainted  and  was  carried  in  on  a  stretcher  which  was  always  provided  for  such  emer- 


98  THELIAISON 

gencies.  Upon  investigation  it  was  found  that  this  attack  was  one  of  smoke  only  and  you 
can  imagine  that  he  was  subjected  to  unmerciful  kidding  by  the  rest  of  the  men. 

Examination  came  on  Saturday  and  proved  to  be  much  shorter  and  easier  than  anyone 
had  anticipated.  We  made  up  our  packs  in  the  afternoon  and  bid  the  Gas  School  "good- 
bye." Naturally,  we  wanted  to  return  by  way  of  Paris,  so  Mac,  as  the  ranking  non-com., 
explained  to  the  R.  T.  O.  that  we  had  a  bunch  of  stuff  to  get  there  on  the  way  back. 
This  officer  wore  that  same  knowing  look  so  habitual  to  all  R.  T.  O.'s  and  smiled  as  he 
gave  us  tickets  to  Paris.  Back  of  us,  in  line,  was  a  colored  soldier  with  the  rank  of  Color 
Sergeant,  who  had  listened  intently  to  our  spiel  to  the  R.  T.  O.,  so  he  brought  forth  this 
bright  idea,  "Sir,  my  adjutant  says  for  me  to  be  sure  to  get  him  some  things  in  Paris  and  I 
will  have  to  get  "em,"  Once  more  the  R.  T.  O.  smiled  and  gave  the  sergeant  a  ticket  to 
Paris.  As  our  train  was  not  scheduled  to  leave  until  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  stayed 
in  a  casual  camp  that  night,  and  then  departed  in  the  best  of  spirits,  comfortably  settled 
in  a  second  class  compartment.  Nothing  of  any  importance  happened  and  we  arrived  at 
the  Gare  de  Est  station  about  11:30,  receiving  our  passes  from  the  A.  P.  M.  as  we  checked 
in  at  the  gate. 

The  Hotel  du  Pavillion  had  been  recommended  to  us  as  a  good  place  to  stay,  but  not 
being  quite  sure  of  the  location  of  the  said  hotel  we  decided  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a 
carriage.  However,  all  the  drivers  looked  at  the  five  of  us  with  our  full  packs  as  much 
as  to  say  that  they  were  driving  carriages,  not  tanks,  and  forthwith  refused  to  carry  us. 
We  were  about  to  give  it  up  when  we  saw  a  cocher  coming  down  the  boulevard  and  this 
time  we  played  the  hold-up  game.  After  stopping  the  outfit,  we  threw  our  packs  in  and 
followed  closely  after  them.  Once  more  our  limited  knowledge  of  French  helped  us  for 
the  longer  the  driver  protested,  the  less  we  understood  and  paying  him  in  advance  we 
started  down  the  main  stem. 

Originally  a  large  Paris  hotel,  the  Hotel  du  Pavillion  is  now  run  by  the  American 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  On  the  first  floor  is  the  office  and  the  check  room  where  we  checked  our 
packs.  Also  on  this  floor  are  the  dining  room,  billiard  room  and  the  library,  where  the 
best  accommodations  for  reading  and  writing  are  to  be  found.  Our  room,  with  private 
bath,  was  on  the  second  floor  and  had  all  the  conveniences  of  a  Statler  hotel.  The  furniture 
was  of  heavy  mahogany  and  our  bed  of  the  massive  French  type,  that  makes  an  army  cot 
look  like  a  good  sized  foot-stool.  As  we  entered  the  dining  room  for  lunch  we  looked  upon 
the  best  sight  since  leaving  the  States.  The  room  was  beautifully  decorated  and  a  large 
fireplace  lent  it  a  comfortable  atmosphere.  White  linen  and  real  dishes  were  on  the  tables, 
while  pretty  French  waitresses  added  further  to  the  scene — flitting  here  and  there  in  little 
white  aprons  and  caps.  Best  of  all  they  gave  you  seconds  on  sugar  when  you  tipped  them 
on  the  Q.  T. 

We  were  told  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  furnished  two  sight-seeing  trips  a  day — a  hike  in 
the  morning  and  a  motor  trip  in  the  afternoon.  We  decided  to  take  these  trips  the  next 
day  as  it  was  growing  late,  and  then  started  for  a  little  stroll  down  the  Boulevard  des 
Italiens.  You  can't  go  very  far  in  Paris  without  getting  the  spirit  of  the  city  and  that  spirit 
is  "forget  your  troubles."  We  were  soon  full  of  it  and  after  some  refreshments,  found 
ourselves  in  a  cocher  with  a  Mademoiselle  on  each  side  getting  acquainted  with  the  city. 
Then  after  a  good  dinner  at  the  "Y,"  we  started  out  spirit  hunting  again.  Seated  at  one 
of  the  wine  tables  that  line  the  sidewalks  in  France,  we  had  a  hard  time  keeping  the 
vampires  away  for  they  seemed  to  fall  for  the  American  soldiers.  After  our  drinks  we 
ventured  into  one  of  the  famous  Follies  of  Paris.  The  Follies  Bergere,  something  like 
the  American  musical  comedy  but  in  French  style.  At  this  time  Paris  was  without  lights 
at  night  as  a  precaution  against  air  raids  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  we  found  our 
way  back  to  the  "Y."     We  slept  great  that  night,  between  white  sheets. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  sight-seeing  with  a  "Y"  man  as  a  guide.  At  a  station  on 
the  Boulevard  des  Italiens  we  entered  the  Metro  and  found  that  it  surpasses  the  subway  of 
New  York  in  size  and  beauty.     It  is  finished  in  white  tile  and  the  cars,  like  those  of  the 


THE     LIAISON  99 

railway,  are  divided  into  two  classes — first  and  second.  We  got  off  at  the  "Sacre  Coeur" 
church,  a  beautiful  structure  being  builded  by  public  subscription.  Here  is  a  splendid 
inlaid  work  of  precious  stones  and  gold  suggesting  an  enormous  outlay  of  wealth  and 
labor.  Leaving  the  Sacre  Coeur  we  again  entered  the  Metro,  passed  under  the  Seine  and 
came  up  on  the  Cite  or  Island,  where  Paris  was  originally  started.  As  we  approached  the 
Notre  Dame  Cathedral  our  guide  pointed  out  the  tower  where  the  "Fool  of  Notre  Dame" 
had  once  hidden.  The  feature  of  the  cathedral  that  impressed  us  was  the  grand  simplicity 
of  the  early  Gothic  style  of  architecture  as  shown  by  the  single  flying  buttresses  and  plain 
massive  pillars  that  supported  the  weight  of  the  vault.  The  beautiful  rose  window  of  stone 
and  glass,  rising  to  a  height  of  forty  feet,  is  surmounted  by  an  elegant  colonade,  and  above 
this  are  the  towers. 

We  saw  the  Saint  Gervais  Cathedral,  which  a  shell  from  the  long  range  guns  had 
struck  on  Easter  morning.  We  could  see  before  us  the  material  results  of  that  shot,  but  far 
greater  was  the  effect  that  it  had  in  firing  to  a  whiter  heat  the  hatred  of  the  French  toward 
the  Germans.  At  the  Palace  of  Justice,  the  beautiful  Supreme  Court  room  with  its  rich 
tapestries  and  gold  scroll  work  on  the  ceiling,  won  our  admiration.  Before  leaving  the  court 
room  we  took  turns  in  sitting  in  the  Supreme  Judges  seat.  Next  came  the  Bastille,  where 
the  keeper  showed  us  the  prisons  of  all  of  the  noted  men  held  during  the  Revolution,  not 
forgetting  the  room  where  Marie  Antoinette  was  put  before  her  trial  and  execution.  Wc 
were  interested  in  the  guillotine  used  at  that  time,  and  the  courtyard  where  the  guide  told 
us  that  the  blood  ran  knee  deep. 

The  massive  steel  work  of  the  Fiffel  Tower  was  the  next  surprise  in  store  for  us.  At 
this  time  the  tower  was  being  used  as  a  wireless  station  and  for  that  reason  we  were  not 
allowed  to  go  up  in  the  elevator.  At  the  Invalides  we  saw  all  of  the  captured  war  material 
taken  from  the  Germans  as  well  as  all  of  the  old  guns  and  weapons  vised  in  the  early 
wars  of  France.  Under  the  Dome  is  Napoleon's  tomb,  but  at  this  time  it  was  covered  with 
sandbags  for  protection  against  air  raids. 

Passing  through  the  Tuileries  we  came  upon  the  Obelisk  Needle  standing  on  the  site 
occupied  by  the  guillotine  during  the  Reign  of  Terror.  Here  we  saw  the  Alsace-Lorraine 
monument  in  shrouds  of  mourning,  now  so  happily  removed,  and  then  we  passed  through 
the  Palace  de  la  Concorde  out  on  to  the  Rue  Royale  and  the  Madeline.  As  we  entered  the 
Madeline  we  were  struck  with  wonder  at  the  high  galleries  and  beautiful  sculpture  work. 

From  the  Madeline  a  car  took  us  to  our  hotel,  tired,  but  satisfied  with  the  thought  that 
it  had  been  one  of  the  most  wonderful  days  that  we  had  ever  lived.  During  the  remainder 
of  our  stay  in  Paris  we  continued  to  go  sight  seeing,  always  finding  something  new  and 
interesting.  At  last  our  diminshing  finances  forced  us  to  leave  all  of  this  beauty  and  life 
of  pleasure  for  camp. 

For  the  trip  back  to  Bordeaux  we  secured  first  class  passage  and  without  anything  of 
any  importance  happening  arrived  there  about  6:30  in  the  evening.  The  Red  Cross  at  the 
station  gave  us  our  suppers  as  we  were  financially  embarrassed  and  would  have  had  to  go 
hungry  otherwise.  We  were  lucky  enough  to  catch  a  truck  for  camp  where  we  arrived 
selfishly  grateful,  perhaps,  for  the  gas  that  had  made  our  wonderful  trip  possible. 


100 


THE     LIAISON 


Rations. 
Slum — anything,  mosth-  meat. 
Spuds — Potatoes   undressed  or  full  pack. 
Light  Artillery- — beans. 
Gold  fish ;  Marine  chicken — salmon. 
The  hot,  wet,  muddy — coffee. 
Sowbelly — bacon. 
Punk — ^bread. 
Worm  s — spaghetti . 
Sugar — the  officers  got  it. 
Jam — they  got  that,  too. 
Sinkers — dumplings. 
Army  strawberries — prunes. 
!     The  unmentionable  army  pudding. 

Dehydrated  potatoes — "Saddler  be  a  little  more  careful  where  you  throw  your  scraps 
of  leather." 

Rawce — rice. 

Niggerhead — syrup. 


Zig-Zag. 


The  first  drink  we  had  of  Vin  Rouge 
Was  down  in  the  sands  of  Camp  Souge ; 

It  tasted  quite  tame. 

Made  us  all  exclaim : 
So,  this  is  the  style  of  French  booze ! 


On  pay-day  we  hit  the  Champagne, 
Proceeded  to  raise  lots  of  cain ; 

Drank  water  next  day. 

For  that  was  the  way 
To  start  us  all  off  once  again. 


The  next  that  we  got  was  Vin  Blink; 

Now  this  was  an  excellent  drink; 
But  one  thing  was  bad, 
The  effect  that  it  had, — 

Our  soldier  soon  needed  a  sink. 


But  take  off  your  hat  to  Cognac; 

It's  got  what  the  other  drinks  lack; 
It  does  what  they  don't. 
One   shot  and  you  won't 

Even  care  if  you  never  go  back. 


Reveille. 

Many  a  poet  has  written  a  lay. 
On  the  fact  that  the  army  can't  start  a  new  day, 
Unless  every  soldier  piles  out  of  the  hay — 
For  Reveille. 

Rain  ma_\   be  pouring,  the  air  may  be  cold. 
And  the  wind  may  be  howling  with  fury  untold. 
But  you'll  fall  in  to-day  as  you  fell  in  of  old  — 
For  Reveille. 


Show  me  the  boys  who  don't  want  to  survive. 
To  see  the  glad  day  when  we've  finished  our  drive. 
And  we  don't  have  to  rise  at  half  after  five — 
For  Reveille. 

D.  V. 


THELIAISON  101 

The  Old  Rolling  Kitchen. 

How  sad  to  behold  are  the  scenes  of  the  Army, 

As    nightmares    recall    them    to   pass    in    review. 
The  picks  and  the  shovels,  the  details  and  troubles, 

And  every  mean  trick  that  the  top  sergeant  knew. 
The  clothes  that  n'er  fit  us,  the  cooties  that  bit  us, 

The  pup  tents  that  leaked  in  a  way  sad  to  tell, 
The  pills  that  they  gave  us  in  order  to  save  us, 

And  e'en  the  field  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

The  old  rolling  kitchen,  the  grease-crusted  kitchen. 
The  slum-making  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

The  mud  and  its  splashin's,  the  iron  travelling  rations, 

The  hob-nails  that  blistered,  the  packs  that  were  lead, 
The  hard  tack  and  willie,  the  coffee  served  chilly, 

The  sawdust  we  ate,  tho  the  French  called  it  bread. 
Oh  softly  now  utter,  the  tale  of  the  butter, 

The  milk  and  the  sugar,  the  jams  and  the  jell — 
The  government  bought  it,  the  officers  got  it. 

Our  fate  was  the  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

The  old  rolling  kitchen,  the  grease-crusted  kitchen, 
The  slum-making  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

How  sad  and  forsaken,  our  rice  and  our  bacon. 

Our  gravy  swam  round  in  a  mess  kit  of  grease. 
Our   spuds   dehydrated,   our   beans    isolated. 

And  oh,  how  we  longed  for  glad  tidings  of  peace. 
For  mother's  hot  biscuit,  too  good  for  a  mess  kit, 

And  other  fond  joys  of  the  home  dinner  bell, 
No   longer  so  wary  of  things  culinary. 

As  of  the  field  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

The  old  rolling  kitchen,  the  grease-crusted  kitchen, 
The  slum-making  kitchen  that  cooked  none  too  well. 

On   guard,   Apremont,   Nov.  5,    1918. 

D.  V. 

The  Band. 

A  bunch  of  brass   is  all  we  claim. 

With   a   few   reeds   thrown   in ; 
We  ask  for  none  of  world  wide  fame, 

For  we  think  it  would  be  sin  ; 
Altho  we  have  had  the  smell  of  powder, 

And  heard  the  whiz  of  a  shell ; 
It  just  made  us  work  all  the  harder 

To  knock  the  Kaiser  to  Hell. 
We   did  not  do  our  bit  in   a  trench, 

But  traveled  the  whole  night  thru ; 
Taking  nations  up  to  the  bunch 

Behind  an  old  army  mule. 

Buck   Fisher, 


THELIAISON  103 


BAND  HISTORY 


The  Regimental  Rand  of  the  134th  assembled  for  the  first  time  on  July  19th, 
1917,  at  the  South  Main  St.  recruiting  office,  Akron,  Ohio.  We  played  one  num- 
ber here  and  then  marched  to  Buchtel  Field.  Lieutenant  Hedges  gave  us  a  short 
talk,  imparting  our  first  knowledge  of  military  rules  and  regulations. 

Every  morning  we  reported  at  Buchtel  Field  and  played  in  the  grand  stand 
while  Headquarters  Company  drilled  on  the  field.  Those  who  did  not  live  in 
Akron  ate  at  Smith's  Cafe  and  slept  at  Buchtel  College.  Our  first  marching  in 
formation  was  done  the  second  day  when  we  led  the  company  around  the  field 
three  or  four  times. 

On  July  25th  we  moved  to  Silver  Lake.  Here  we  were  furnished  two 
pyramidal  tents  (L  C.)  by  Co.'s  B.  and  F  of  the  8th  O.  N.  G.  (later  146th  Inf.), 
who  were  camped  at  the  Lake.  As  these  tents  accommodated  only  a  few  of  us  the 
rest  stayed  at  their  homes  in  Akron  and  Barberton.  We  rehearsed  at  Chautau- 
qua Park  so  we  could  be  by  ourselves. 

On  July  27th  we  were  sent  to  Akron  to  play  at  the  funeral  of  one  of  the 
Infantry  boys.  Uniforms  were  borrowed  from  the  Great  Western  Band  of 
Akron,  as  we  had  not  been  issued  any  regulation  clothing.  We  marched  about 
seven  miles.  As  this  was  our  first  military  funeral  and  long  hike  it  seemed  like 
seventy  miles  to  us.     We  were  tired  out  when  we  got  back  to  the  Lake. 

On  Sunday,  August  5th.  we  played  our  first  formal  guard-mount  for  the 
Infantry.  The  trying  ordeal  was  witnessed  by  a  large  crowd  spending  the 
day  at  the  Park. 

On  the  night  of  August  10th  we  toured  Akron  in  trucks,  advertising  Auto- 
mobile Races  which  were  to  be  held  at  Fountain  Park  the  following  afternoon. 
We  also  played  at  the  races.  About  the  middle  of  August  we  gave  a  concert  at 
Lakeside  Park,  and  later  another  one  at  the  Motordome.  The  second  week  in 
August  we  gave  a  dance  at  the  East  Market  Street  Gardens.  With  the  proceeds 
we  purchased  several  new  instruments. 

The  second  week  in  September  we  were  given  an  examination  by  Mr.  Clark 
Miller,  former  director  of  the  8th  O.  N.  G.  Band.  As  a  result  several  non- 
coms  were  made. 

On  the  morning  of  September  28th,  having  arrived  at  Ft.  Ben.,  we  got  up  at 
5  :30  a.m.  to  play  Reveille  for  the  First  Battalion  and  Headquarters  Detachment 
who  were  stationed  there.  This  was  our  first  Reveille  and  it  brought  every  one 
out  in  a  hurry,  from  the  Regimental  Commander  to  the  lowest  Buck.  The  Col- 
onel made  a  short  speech  of  welcome,  necessarily  short  as  it  was  a  very  frosty 
morning  and  he  was  en  dishabille. 

At  Nashville,  Tenn.,  on  the  way  from  Ft.  Ben  to  Camp  Sheridan,  we  made 
a  short  parade  and  gave  a  short  concert  in  the  depot. 

After  we  had  settled  down  in  the  company  street  at  Sheridan  we  built  a 
band-stand  in  the  woods  just  back  of  camp,  where  we  rehearsed  twice  a  day. 
Besides  these  rehearsals  we  played  Reveille  at  5:30  a.m.,  Guard-Mount  at  4:30 


104  THELIAISON 

p.m.,  and  Retreat  at  6 :00  p.m.  In  a  few  weeks  a  band  stand  was  erected  in  front 
of  Regimental  Headquarters,  where  we  played  a  concert  every  evening. 

During  the  first  campaign  for  funds  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  we  took  several 
trips  to  nearby  towns.  We  went  with  Mr.  XoUen,  our  *'Y"  Secretary  and  played 
at  Wetumpka,  Eclectic  and  Tallassee.  This  was  our  first  experience  with 
Southern  hospitality  and  it  was  genuine.  Also,  fried  chicken,  gravv,  and 
.Southern  biscuit  were  greatly  relished  after  four  months  of  army  slum.  At  each 
place  the  reception  committee  was  made  up  chiefly  of  the  young  ladies  of  the  town. 

The  day  before  Thanksgiving  the  "Soldier's  Minstrel''  was  given  in  Mont- 
gomery with  great  success.  Two  more  performances  followed  on  Thanksgiving 
Day.  On  the  day  before  Christmas  it  was  put  on  at  the  K.  C.  hut.  A  few  days 
after  Christmas  we  were  issued  a  few  new  instruments. 

On  account  of  having  so  many  horses,  and  for  various  other  reasons,  we 
were  called  upon  to  help  groom  the  horses  every  day.  Not  many  of  us  had  ever 
been  around  horses  very  much  and  we  furnished  plenty  of  amusement  for  the 
"old  timers"  in  the  Company.  Every  time  a  horse  switched  his  tail  a  band  man 
would  back  out  of  a  stall  and  declare  he  "would  never  touch  that  sack  of  bones 
again."  It  was  not  long  until  we  liked  grooming  so  well  that  each  of  us  groomed 
at  least  three  horses  every  day.  This  caused  much  dissention  between  us  and  the 
Company  men,  as  grooming  horses  was  also  their  hobby,  and  we  left  them  but 
one  horse  apiece.  We  were  given  our  first  monkey-drill  in  March,  and  again  we 
furnished  amusement  for  the  old-timers  in  the  Company. 

On  February  17  we  lost  one  of  our  most  popular  members.  Cook,  the 
barber,  received  a  discharge  on  account  of  dependency. 

The  Band  left  Montgomery  on  the  6th  of  April  for  their  concert  tour  in 
Ohio.  The  special  car  which  had  been  chartered  for  the  trip  was  a  Pullman. 
Upon  reaching  Louisville,  Ky.,  we  changed  from  the  L.  &  Nt  sleeper  to  a  Big 
Four  day-coach  for  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  our  first  concert  was  to  be  given.  The 
Gem  City  was  reached  two  hours  late,  but  our  audience  had  not  lost  faith.  They 
were  there  to  greet  us  with  cheers  as  we  marched  into  Memorial  Hall  at  5  :00  p.m. 
that  Sunday  evening.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we  had  just  completed  a 
nine  hundred  mile  ride  without  a  stop  or  rest,  a  very  good  concert  was  rendered, 
judging  from  the  applause.  The  quartet  also  made  a  big  hit,  responding  with 
encores.  After  the  concert  we  were  escorted  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  to 
one  of  the  large  churches  where  the  ladies  with  their  daughters  fully  repaid  us 
with  a  delicious  supper.     We  "billeted"  at  the  Algonquin  Hotel. 

On  the  following  morning  we  left  Dayton  to  invade  Barberton,  where 
another  most  sincere  welcome  awaited  us.  After  a  short  parade  we  were  con- 
ducted to  another  of  the  ne'er-to-be- forgotten  feasts,  this  time  at  the  U.  B. 
church.  Our  welcome  was  all  the  more  hearty  on  account  of  Rev.  Bovey  being 
the  father  of  one  of  our  boys.  After  this  splendid  repast  we  attended  a  Liberty 
Loan  meeting  for  which  we  furnished  the  music  while  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  people  of  Barberton  did  the  rest.  Band-Leader  Long  and  several  of 
the  Band  boys  have  homes  here  or  nearby  and  they  entertained  some  of  the  boys 
for  the  night,  while  the  good  people  of  Barberton  took  care  of  the  rest.     Much 


T  H  E     L  I  A  I  S  O  N  i05 

credit  is  due  the  people  of  Barberton  for  their  kindness  and  generosity  in  furnish- 
ing funds  in  advance  to  enable  us  to  make  the  trip  from  Sheridan. 

We  left  Barberton  the  following  morning  for  Akron,  where  we  paraded 
from  Union  Park  to  the  Music  ITall  and  there  on  the  same  evening  played  our 
third  concert  to  a  large  and  appreciative  aiidience.  Most  of  the  boys  went  home 
or  stayed  at  the  hotels  for  the  night.  On  Wednesday  we  went  back  to  Barber- 
ton and  gave  another  concert. 

On  Thursday  the  Band  arrived  in  Kent  and  attended  the  funeral  of  one  of  the 
boys  from  Camp  Sherman,  escorting  the  body  to  Standing  Kock  Cemetery.  In 
the  evening  the  Band  was  given  a  banquet  at  the  High  School  building  by  the 
girls  of  the  school,  their  mothers  and  the  business  men  of  the  town.  Manager 
Hanley  of  the  opera  house  furnished  cigars  and  cigarettes  for  the  crowd.  After 
this  last  big  feast  we  adjourned  to  the  Normal  College  auditorium,  and  there 
played  the  last  concert  of  the  trip,  which  was  enjoyed  by  the  students  and  the 
people  of  the  town.  Mayor  M.  L.  Davey  was  responsible  for  our  trip  to  that 
place  and  the  Board  of  Trade  made  our  visit  a  pleasant  one.  From  here  the  boys 
scattered  to  their  respective  homes,  some  in  Ohio,  some  in  other  States. 

On  Saturday,  April  20th,  we  left  Akron  bound  for  Sheridan.  Several  of 
the  boys  joined  the  train  at  Columbus  and  Cincinnati.  We  arrived  in  Alont- 
gomery  Sunday  evening  and  proceeded  to  camp  by  the  usual  methods — street 
car  and  jit. 

"One  good  trip  deserves  another"  again  proved  true.  We  were  ordered 
South  shortly  to  play  at  the  towns  of  Evergreen  and  Greenville,  Ala.,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Third  Liberty  Loan  campaign. 

As  a  band  was  very  seldom  heard  in  those  communities,  we  were  afforded 
a  welcome  never  to  be  forgotten,  especially  in  the  vv^ay  the  people  treated  us  as 
one  of  their  family.  On  the  first  night  it  happened  that  several  of  the  boys  lost 
out  in  not  being  able  to  find  their  rooms,  so  had  to  try  to  sleep  on  the  railroad 
station  floor. 

On  arriving  at  Greenville  we  put  up  at  the  town  hotel  where  our  meals  were 
furnished,  consisting  mostly  of  fried  ham  and  potatoes  three  times  a  day.  A 
dance  was  given  at  this  town  in  honor  of  the  Band. 

A  few  days  after  this  trip  South,  Assistant  Band  Leader  Morey  received 
his  discharge.  We  were  very  sorry  to  lose  him  as  he  was  thought  a  great  deal 
of  by  every  one,  both  in  the  Band  and  Company.  He  has  always  been  missed  in 
the  outfit.     Also  he  has  kept  in  constant  touch  with  us  through  all  our  wanderings. 

Our  first  billets  in  France  were  at  Chateau  Choisy  near  Bordeaux.  We 
played  a  concert  each  evening,  hiking  to  the  surrounding  villages  to  reach  the 
Batteries,  and  played  at  Regimental  Headquarters  every  Sunday  evening.  After 
a  short  stay  at  the  Chateau  vv^e  hiked  with  the  Company  to  Camp  de  Souge,  leav- 
ing our  instruments  and  barracks  bags  to  be  hauled  over.  The  instruments  did 
not  arrive  at  Camp  for  three  days  and  we  had  little  to  do  until  they  came. 
Thereafter  we  played  concerts  every  evening  at  Regimental  Headquarters  or  one 
of  the  Battery  barracks. 

It  was  during  this  stay  at  Camp  de  Souge  that  the  minstrel  was  called  upon 
again.     An  entirely  new  production  was  put  on  under  the  leadership  of  Harry 


106  THELIAISON 

Young  and  Sergeant-Major  Greenbiirg.  The  first  show  in  France  was  even 
more  of  a  success  than  that  given  in  the  States.  This  was  largely  due  to  the 
co-operation  of  the  performers  who  were  chosen  from  the  various  organizations 
of  the  Regiment.  As  usual  the  instrumental  music  was  furnished  by  members 
of  the  Band.  This  same  show  was  given  at  all  the  "Y''  huts  in  Camp,  at  the  Camp 
Hospital,  at  a  Base  Hospital  near  Bordeaux,  and  at  an  American  Naval  Base 
near  Pauniac.  It  was  given  a  royal  welcome  everywhere  it  went  and  was  called 
upon  to  put  on  a  special  performance  for  the  officers  of  the  62nd  F.  A.  Brigade. 
At  Laimont  we  played  concerts  every  evening  and  for  the  first  time  had  to 
stand  guard.  Three  of  the  new  members  of  the  Band — ^lack,  Bing  and  Mc- 
Flwie — were  sent  with  a  detail  which  took  horses  to  the  front.  A  few  days 
before  this  the  entire  Band  had  gone  to  Revigny  and  brought  back  horses  for 
the  Company. 

At  Pneumonia  Valley  we  found  an  ideal  camping  ground.  The  only  diffi- 
culties we  encountered  were  trying  to  sleep  on  the  hillside  and  the  daily  heavy 
rains.  Both  were  easy  to  overcome,  the  first  by  wrapping  ourselves  around  the 
base  of  a  tree,  and  the  latter  by  pretending  we  were  ducks.  During  our  stay  here 
Afiller  became  so  sick,  he  had  to  be  taken  to  a  hospital.     He  never  returned  to  us. 

The  Band  With  the  Supply  Company. 

Just  before  Headquarters  Company  was  divided  and  the  Battalion  and  Regi- 
mental Details  permanently  assigned  in  preparation  for  our  first  service  "Up 
Front,"  it  became  necessary  to  transfer  the  Band.  It  was  seen  that  with  Head- 
quarters Company  practically  ceasing  to  exist  as  a  separate  organization,  the 
question  of  mess  for  the  Band  would  become  a  problem.  At  this  particular  time 
our  Supply  Company  was  somewhat  below  strength,  a  condition  which  may 
cause  all  kinds  of  inconvenience  when  a  regiment  is  in  action  and  dependent  on 
its  Supply  Company  for  rations  and  forage.  Our  Supply  Company,  then,  was 
willing  to  furnish  the  Band  mess  in  return  for  the  increased  man  power  this 
would  afford.  Let  us  .say  right  here  that  the  cooks  and  mess  officers  of  our 
"mule  skinner"  outfit  never  once  failed  to  live  up  to  their  half  of  the  agreement. 

So  it  was  on  October  10th  that  the  transfer  was  made  and  the  place  wa^; 
"Pneumonia  Valley."  Concerts  and  rehearsals  now  gave  way  to  more  essential 
forms  of  activity  and  individual  practice  was  replaced  by  nightly  guard-duty 
over  some  two  hundred  "jar-heads"  that  tugged  at  the  Supply  Company  picket 
line.  Incidentally  the  army  mule  had  a  lot  of  fun  with  his  new  guards  until 
they  got  next  to  some  of  his  idiosyncracies. 

On  October  12th  a  move  was  made  to  the  village  of  Millery,  several  kilo- 
meters nearer  the  Front.  The  ride  on  Supply  Company  wagons  was  a  welcome 
change  from  our  habitual  organ-grinder  mode  of  travel  with  full-packs  and 
instruments.  Our  billets  at  Millery  were  all  that  could  be  expected,  and  our 
new  officers  let  us  down  easy  with  guard-duty  and  a  few  spud-peeling  details  in 
the  kitchen.  By  way  of  appreciation  we  dug  out  our  horns  and  gave  the  boys 
a  little  jazz  and  also  put  on  a  concert  at  the  nearby  Evacuation  Hospital  of  the 
92nd  Division  in  return  for  frequent  "C.C."  pills  and  hot  showers. 


THELIAISON  107 

Watching  air-battles  was  one  of  the  popular  pastimes  at  Millery,  and  it  was 
while  thus  engaged  one  day  that  a  half  dozen  of  the  fellows  got  a  little  thrill  of 
their  own.  To  secure  a  better  view  they  had  crawled  through  a  small  window 
of  the  billets  out  onto  the  roof.  Presently  something  came  whistling  down  with 
a  shrill  warning  that  sent  the  whole  bunch  hustling  for  that  window  much  after 
the  fashion  of  a  frog  entering  a  dug-out.  How  they  doped  it  out  that  they  would 
be  any  safer  inside  none  has  been  able  to  explain,  even  had  they  reached  the 
interior  before  the  missle  hit  the  ground.  When  it  did  hit  there  was  no  deafening 
explosion  such  as  the  boys  had  expected,  and  the  committee  of  six  set  out  to 
investigate.  Their  finding  consisted  of  a  large  piece  of  anti-aircraft  shrapnel 
which  had  buried  itself  about  two  feet  in  the  ground  some  fifteen  yards  from 
the  billet. 

Perhaps  the  excitement  of  this  little  incident  and  the  nerve  strain  that  might 
result  was  responsible  for  our  move  to  a  '"rest  camp"  after  nine  days  at  Millery. 
Certain  it  is  that  the  Band  at  least  was  in  no  need  of  a  rest.  But  we  had  learned 
long  ago  that  rest  camps  are  so  called  merely  for  lack  of  a  better  name,  and, 
therefore,  were  not  surprised  to  find  "business  as  usual"  at  Camp  Ouest  near 
Avrainville.  In  fact  we  threw  in  an  occasional  rehearsal  and  concert  with  our 
spud  details  just  for  good  measure.  One  concert  was  played  at  a  hospital  near 
Toul  and  brought  a  reward  of  hot  chocolate  with  cakes  and  cigarettes,  and  an 
opportunity  to  stock  up  at  a  real  canteen.  Band  Leader  Long,  Sergeant  Frye  and 
Corporal  Schultz  went  us  one  better  by  discovering  the  combination  to  a  good 
supper  with  apple  pie  trimmings. 

October  26th  saw  us  leaving  Camp  Ouest  in  motor  trucks  bound  for  Apre- 
mont.  This  trip  was  memorable,  for  it  enabled  us  all  to  boast  of  being  sub- 
jected to  gas.  If  you  have  ever  traveled  in  a  Frog  truck  forced  to  run  on  low 
gear  most  of  the  way  and  using  a  poor  grade  of  petrol  for  fuel,  you  will  appre- 
ciate the  justice  of  our  claim.  The  fumes  that  collected  in  those  covered  trucks 
put  the  K.  O.  on  more  than  one  of  us,  and  the  general  average  of  health  and 
spirits  recalled  days  aboard  the  "Good  Ship  Nestor." 

We  reached  Apremont  about  two  in  the  morning,  cold,  hungry,  sleepy  and 
blue.  Nor  was  there  anything  in  the  bleak  ruins  of  that  village  to  lighten  our 
spirits,  so  it  was  a  disgusted  bunch  of  soldiers  that  paired  off  to  spread  their 
blankets  by  the  side  of  the  road.  But  morning  makes  a  lot  of  difference,  especially 
if  it  brings  a  good  breakfast  with  it.  "Perc"  and  his  fellow  cooks  rose  nobly  to 
the  occasion  and  around  the  old  Supply  Company  kitchen  we  rallied,  met  some 
of  the  boys  who  had  become  lost  in  the  shuffle  and  almost  decided  that  we  were 
glad  we  came. 

It  looked  as  if  it  was  to  be  more  than  a  one  night  stand.  So,  after  finding 
that  the  cellar  which  they  "issued"  us  "wasn't  what  we  wanted,"  we  started  out 
among  the  ruins  in  groups  of  two  and  three  to  make  billets  grow  where  none 
had  grown  before.  When  every  one  finally  had  a  home  it  was  an  all-day  job  to 
round  up  the  Band  for  a  concert  or  details.  Guard-duty  and  hauling  rations  up 
front  took  up  part  of  our  time,  but  our  happiest  hours  were  spent  exploring  the 
German  dug-outs.     Here  was  the  apex  of  the  famous  St.   Mihiel  sector  with 


108  THELIAISON 

trenches  running  right  through  the  town  and  ^Mount  Sac  at  our  very  door.  Each 
exploring  band  man  and  every  mule  skinner  and  his  helper  can  show  you  souve- 
nirs he  policed  up  at  Apremont. 

One  of  these  exploring  parties,  composed  of  Hump  Guthrie,  Peckhorn 
Felton  and  Amos,  is  fortunate  that  it  did  not  come  to  grief  for  they  discovered 
that  a  tin  can  they  had  been  juggling  was  filled  with  nitroglycerine.  Many  ex- 
plosives had  been  left  by  the  Hun  in  his  hurried  tlight  and  every  day  was  Fourth 
of  July  for  the  boys  until  an  order  had  to  be  issued  against  setting  otT  "potato 
mashers"  and  other  noise  producers. 

A  few  fireworks,  however,  were  put  on  in  celebration  of  Hallowe'en  and  the 
Band  led  a  parade  through  the  ruins.  \A'ith  no  moon  to  guide  us  we  stumbled 
in  mud  holes  and  over  rocks,  producing  music  that  was  wierd  enough  for  any 
Hallowe'en  celebration.  As  usual  on  "National  holidays"  Toughy  Auld  had  his 
cooks  working  overtime  and  that  alone  was  enough  to  make  the  day  a  success. 

Warmed  by  stoves  from  the  German  dug-outs  and  with  a  captured  mahogany 
chair,  marble-topped  table,  mirror  or  bed-springs  added  nearly  every  day,  our 
billets  at  Apremont  were  rapidly  taking  on  a  Fifth  Avenue  atmosphere,  when  on 
November  6th  orders  came  to  move.  It's  always  like  that  in  this  man's  army — 
if  you  want  to  leave  a  place,  just  fix  up  your  billets  until  you  have  something 
almost  homelike,  then  you'll  leave  sure. 

This  time  after  covering  a  goodly  number  of  kilometers  on  foot  and  on 
friendly  trucks,  we  found  ourselves  two  kilos  out  of  Heudicourt  in  a  woods  that 
was  soon  to  receive  the  name  of  "Cootie  Hollow."  Aside  from  the  fact  that  this 
was  an  appropriate  name,  our  camp  wasn't  any  worse  than  a  lot  of  other  billets 
bequeathed  by  the  fleeing  Hun.  One  thing  at  least  Heinie  did  to  our  advantage 
by  locating  our  camp  against  the  sheltering  slope  of  a  young  mountain.  The 
result  was  that  after  clearing  the  barrier.  Jerrys  shells  were  forced  to  clear  us 
also,  whining  in  protest  as  they  continued  on  their  journey  toward  Heudicourt. 

There  came  a  day  e'er  long  when  those  shells  ceased  to  whine  and  an  unac- 
customed stillness  settled  over  camp  and  battlefield.  It  was  "The  Day"  but  not 
"Der  Tag"  that  the  Hun  had  sung  and  toasted  these  many  years.  It  was  the  day 
he  finally  realized  that  shells  nor  men  could  avail  against  the  spirit  of  America, 
that  spirit  he  had  so  strangely  left  out  of  his  calculations. 

The  welcome  news  of  that  November  Eleventh  was  carried  ovit  to  camp  by 
Alanly  and  Alexander  from  Heudicourt,  where  they  had  gone  expecting  to  return 
with  nothing  more  exciting  than  a  blouse  full  of  cigarettes  and  candy.  They 
arrived  at  a  quarter  to  eleven,  while  the  guns  were  still  going  strong,  so  strong 
in  fact  that  had  our  two  newsbearers  laid  their  hands  on  their  pocket  testaments 
and  yelled  "Feenish  le  guerre"  above  the  roar  of  guns  we  would  still  have  worn 
our  "you  can't  fool  me"  look  while  remarking,  "Just  another  rumor."  But 
when,  promptly  at  eleven,  the  barrage  lifted  to  be  laid  no  more  our  doubting  air 
departed  and  our  cheers  filled  the  woods  that  so  recently  had  resounded  to  burst- 
ing shells.  Furstenberg,  the  cook,  with  a  whoop  and  a  handspring  fell  to  frying 
steaks,  which  is  a  habit  of  his  when  something  especially  pleases  him.  Now,  with 
visions  of  an  early  return  to  the  Chicago  police  force,  he  let  himself  out  to  the 


THE     LIAISON  109 

limit  and  produced  a  feed  that  would  have  turned  old  man  Hoover  blue  in  the 
face.  After  supper  on  this  eventful  day  the  Band  led  a  procession  over  to  the 
Evacuation  Hospital  nearby  and  put  on  a  concert  of  jazz  just  to  use  up  any  re- 
maining energy. 

Two  days  later,  we  loaded  up  packs,  kitchen,  cooties  and  all  and  moved  to 
Camp  Mariaux,  a  rest  camp,  where  we  were  doomed  to  rest  until  we  were  in 
danger  of  acquiring  the  chronic  rest  habit.  Just  to  keep  moving  we  revived  the 
practice  of  playing  Reveille  and  Retreat.  Five  days  after  reaching  this  camp 
the  Band  was  transferred  back  to  Headquarters  Company. 

A  soldier  it  seems  has  a  way  of  sizing  up  an  outfit  by  the  kind  of  chow  it 
gives  him  that  is  one  reason,  perhaps,  why  the  Band  holds  a  warm  spot  in  its 
heart  for  the  Supply  Company.  But  just  as  lasting  an  impression  was  made,  we 
believe,  by  the  treatment  received  at  the  hands  of  the  officers,  by  their  appreciation 
of  our  smallest  services  and  by  the  genuine  good  comradeship  of  every  man  in  the 
company  from  Amos  and  Cy  to  Captain  Hollenbeck  himself. 

Drafted  Into  the  134th 

(Just  before  leaving  Camp  Sheridan  for  overseas,  the  134th  was  brought  up  to  war 
strength  by  additions  from  a  draft  camp.  Again  after  the  first  withdrawals  from  the  front 
lines  another  group  of  replacements  from  the  draft  was  taken  into  the  regiment.  Be  it 
said  that  these  men  have  thoroughly  proved  their  right  to  be  called  Yanks.  In  appreciation 
of  this  fact  the  editors  sought  something  appropriate  to  add  to  the  completeness  of  a 
Company  History.  This  letter  developed.  It  describes  a  typical  drafted  man's  experience 
and  is  by  one  of  them.) 

Somewhere   in   France. 

January,    1919. 
Dear  Uncle : — 

In  May,  1918,  I  received  a  very  legal  looking  document  informing  me  of  my  indict- 
ment by  the  grand  jury  of  Local  Board  No.  27  of  the  County  of  X ,  stating  that  I 

was  phj'sically  fit  to  stop  a  bullet  and  that  I  should  make  preparations  for  a  trip  to  Colum- 
bus Barracks.  Ohio,  on  the  morning  of  June  1st.  This  document  also  stated  that  the  local 
grand  jury  was  composed  of  my  friends  and  neighbors.  As  neighbors  I  can  readily  under- 
stand their  desire  for  my  absence  but  as  friends  I  am  oflf  them  for  life. 

On  the  evening  of  May  31  we  took  the  oath  and  were  informed  that  from  then  on  we 
would  draw  our  pay  and  rations  from  Uncle  Sam.  On  the  morning  of  June  1st,  after 
being  tagged  so  that  we  would  not  go  astray  or  loiter  on  the  way,  and  being  loaded  down 
with  comfort  kits,  sweaters,  etc..  from  the  Red  Cross,  and  some  presents  from  relatives, 
we  started  on  the  first  stage  of  our  journey  to  make  the  world  safe  for  the  Democrats, 
amid  the  blaring  of  bands,  the  farewells,  cheers  and  well-wishes  of  the  assembled  multi- 
tude. On  the  line  of  march  to  the  station  all  of  the  saloons  were  closed  to  do  us  honor.  The 
bands  played  nothing  but  ragtime  but  I  never  in  all  my  life  heard  anything  that  sounded 
so  much  like  a  funeral  dirge.  At  the  station  I  chirped  up  a  bit  and  began  to  wear  a  martial 
air.  And  who  would  not?  It  seemed  that  all  the  pretty  girls  in  creation  were  assembled 
at  that  station  and  all  were  as  free  with  their  kisses  and  God-speeds  as  a  mess-sergeant 
serving  green  beans.  Red  Cross  workers  and  canteen  workers,  politicians  big  and  little, 
relatives,  friends  and  sweethearts  and  all  making  of  each  individual  future  K.  P.  a  hero. 
The  cheers  as  the  train  pulled  out  and  until  we  were  beyond  the  city  limits,  were  deafening. 
There  were  1,600  men  on  the  train  and  of  these  I  knew  only  one  and  did  not  see  him  until 
after  our  arrival  at  Columbus.     After  walking  through  the  train  I  finally  found  a  vacant 


no  THE     LIAISON 

seat  and  it  was  not  very  long  until  I  settled  down  to  a  much  needed  rest  and  was  soon 
asleep.  The  trip  was  without  incident  other  than  the  ordinary  breakdowns,  delays  and 
other  discomforts  of  the  road. 

We  were  twenty-seven  hours  on  the  train  and  before  the  thirteenth  we  had  the  Boche 
licked  to  a  frazzle  and  were  ready  to  return  home  and  take  up  the  peaceful  pursuit  of  the 
almighty  but  elusive  dollar  once  more.  But  it  was  no  use  to  argue  with  that  conductor. 
Backed  up  by  a  few  soldiers,  he  emphatically  insisted  that  we  go  all  the  way  to  Columbus. 
We  did.     We  arrived  at  Columljus  at  4  :30  on  Sunday,  June  2nd. 

I  guess  the  wires  must  have  been  crossed  or  else  tliey  did  not  expect  us  so  soon, 
knowing  that  we  were  coming  in  over  the  B.  &  O.  Anyhow  the  Mayor  was  not  there  to 
welcome  us  nor  were  there  any  brass  bands  or  cheering  throngs.  Instead  we  were  met 
b\-  a  very  brisk  and  business-like  group  of  regular  army  men  who  told  us  where  we  got 
oflf,  as  if  we  were  not  able  to  read  the  sign  on  the  station  and  did  not  already  know. 
They  then  marched  us  off  to  the  barracks.  Then  things  l)egan  to  happen  with  a  rapidity 
which  was  startling  and  I  am  unable  to  chronicle  them  in  the  order  of  their  sequence.  We 
were  relieved  of  our  baggage  except  what  we  would  need  in  the  next  forty-eight  hours, 
registered,  received  our  barracks  bags,  blankets,  be^-sacks,  etc.,  assigned  to  billets,  bathed 
and  went  through  a  score  of  stunts  before  supper,  which  would  hardly  seem  possible  in 
civil  life  in  such  a  short  space  of  time.  Believe  me,  what  it  takes  to  get  action  out  of  a 
bunch  of  green  men  those  regular  army  guys  are  all  broken  out  with  and  then  some.  When 
they  spoke  they  looked  for  action  on  your  part  and  the  action  had  to  be  of  the  P.  D.  Q. 
variety  without  variations. 

Columbus  Barracks  at  that  time  was  one  of  the  busiest  places  per  acre  in  the  universe. 
If  old  William  HohenzoUern  could  have  gotten  a  glimpse  of  the  activity  which  was  daily 
taking  place  there  and  had  stopped  to  think  of  the  hundreds  of  other  such  places  scattered 
over  the  country  all  devoted  to  the  same  purpose  of  removing  him  as  a  troul)le-maker.  he 
could  have  saved  a  good  many  of  his  deluded  followers  by  crawling  into  some  deep 
secluded  hole  instead  of  looking  for  a  place  in  the  sun. 

About  five  o'clock  we  had  supper.  It  was  great  and  the  vacancies  behind  our  belts 
soon  disappeared.  I  think  that  a  K.  P.  at  C.  B.  has  about  the  hardest  job  in  the  army. 
They  serve  three  meals  daily  and  it  takes  three  sittings  per  meal,  in  order  that  all  men  ma\- 
be  fed.  The  mess  hall  will  seat  1,500  at  one  time.  The  rattle  and  din  made  by  the  handling 
of  qiany  dishes,  cups,  saucers,  knives,  forks,  and  spoons,  the  shouts  of  the  men  and  the 
waiters,  the  orders  and  commands  of  the  supervising  officers,  the  tramp,  tramp  of  the 
men  entering  and  leaving,  all  went  to  make  up  the  most  orderly  chaotic  confusion  I  ever 
witnessed.  Supper  over,  most  of  us  sent  word  home  of  our  trip,  safe  arrival,  etc.  Then 
there  was  a  band  concert  until  9:30,  after  which  we  retired   for  a  much-needed  rest. 

The  next  few  days  were  taken  up  with  physical  examinations,  insurance,  records, 
getting  our  clothing,  receiving  equipment  and  so  forth.  Then  came  the  most  dreaded  part 
of  all,  being  vaccinated  and  taking  the  first  shot.  The  vaccination  did  not  take  and  I 
.survived  the  shot.  The  next  day  we  received  our  uniforms  and  the  photographers  of 
Columbus  began  to  police  a  few  wads  of  greenbacks.  The  embryo  soldiers  had  their 
photos  taken  in  every  possible  position  and  from  every  possible  angle.  A  few  days  of 
watchful  waiting  and  then  we  departed  for  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C,  arriving  there  on  the 
morning  of  June  10,  where  for  the  next  five  weeks  we  were  to  witness  that  delightful 
comedy  of  errors,  "Shavetails  Making  Good,''  and  incidentally  learn  the  rudiments  of 
foot  drill,  dismounted  polo,  material,  military  courtesy,  policing  up,  and  otlier  things  too 
numerous  to  mention. 

About  July  10th  we  were  notified  that  we  had  passed  the  overseas  examinations  and  on 
the  evening  of  July   17   left   for   Camp  Merritt,   N.  J.,  arriving  there   on  the  morning  of 

July  19.     While  in  Merritt  I  had  visions  of  a  furlough  and  of  parading  in  X all  by 

my  lonesome  dressed  up  in  my  new  overseas  uniform  to  the  admiration  of  my  relatives, 
friends    and    many    pretty   young   ladies.      My    furlough    began    and   ended    in    that    vision. 


THE     LIAISON  111 

Uncle  Sam  dispelled  any  ideas  that  we  had  in  that  direction  when  he  ordered  us  to  sail 
on  July  23. 

We  were  awakened  on  that  morning  at  1  ;30  and  hiked  from  Camp  Merritt  for  what 
seemed  innumerable  miles  in  the  darkness  until  finally  we  arrived  at  Alpine  Landing, 
where  we  l^oarded  a  ferry  boat  which  took  us  to  a  dock  in  Hoboken  where  we  ascended 
the  gang-plank  to  the  deck  of  the  good  ship  Tydeus.  This  being  an  English  ship  and 
England  being  our  biggest  ally,  I  don't  feel  at  liberty  to  give  my  opinion  of  it.  We  passed 
the  Statue  of  Liberty  at  6:10  p.  m.  and  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  sailed  into  the  harbor 
of  Halifax.  Left  Halifax  on  the  evening  of  the  27th  and  had  a  rather  uneventful  passage. 
We  sighted  no  submarines  and  after  being  on  the  ship  for  sixteen  days  we  awoke  one 
bright  sunshiny  day  to  find  that  we  were  steaming  up  the  Thames  surrounded  by 
destroyers,  sub-chasers  and  river  craft  of  all  kinds,  each  signalling  a  welcome  while  allied 
aircraft  flew  overhead  and  bli'me  hif  we  didn't  land  hin  hold  Lunnon. 

We  left  London  at  6:30  p.  m.  in  first-class  passenger  coaches  in  which  had  been  placed 
messages  for  us  all  from  the  King,  and  arrived  at  Camp  Woodley  near  Romsey  at  11:30 
p.  m.  This  was  our  first  rest  camp  and  after  two  days,  in  which  we  thoroughly  policed 
it,  we  were  all  set  for  the  hike  to  Southampton  from  where  we  were  to  cross  to  the 
"promised  land"  when  an  order  came  down  that  all  who  had  crossed  in  the  Tydeus  were 
to  be  placed  in  quarantine  at  Camp  Stanton,  Hursley,  near  Winchester.  It  was  near 
Hursley  that  the  famous  Battle  of  Hastings  was  fought  and  where  the  ruins  of  Cromwell's 
castle  still  stand.  We  visited  both  places.  While  in  this  camp  we  received  more  intensive 
training.  We  had  mutton  three  times  a  day  for  seven  days  a  week  ( for  the  rest  of  the 
meals  they  served  chicken). 

One  day  we  visited  Winchester  and  the  Cathedral.  I  never  experienced  anything 
more  thrilling  than  when  in  that  massive  edifice  filled  with  Americans,  soldiers  of  the 
allied  nations  and  people  from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  the  great  organ  burst  forth  with  the 
sweetest  music  ever  heard,  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner."  Every  one,  civilians  and  soldiers 
alike,  snapped  to  attention  and  a  thrill  seemed  to  run  through  all.  It  was  the  first  time 
that  most  of  us  had  heard  the  National  Anthem  on  foreign  soil  and  it  made  us  mighty 
glad  and  proud  that  we  were  Americans.  We  then  visited  the  scene  of  the  First  Parlia- 
ment of  England  and  we  saw  the  Round  Table  at  which  King  Arthur  presided  over  his 
gallant  knights.  England  is  a  beautiful  and  interesting  country,  but  it  does  boil  a  fellow 
out  going  through  it  on  the  hobnail  express  on  a  hot  day.  On  September  4,  after  a  long 
hike  from  Camp  Stanton,  we  left  Southampton  at  5 :30  p.  m.  on  the  Queen  Alexandra 
bound  for  Le  Havre.  France. 

That  night  on  the  boat  will  always  remain  a  nightmare  to  me.  The  sea  was  calm  but 
the  discomforts  of  that  passage  were  many  and  varied.  We  docked  at  Le  Havre  at  1 :30 
a.  m.  on  the  5th.  At  7  .00  we  disembarked  and  walked  uphill  through  the  city  for  what 
seemed  many  miles  in  the  hot  sun  until  we  came  to  our  second  rest  (?)  camp  in  Europe, 
where  we  spent  the  next  two  days.  We  left  this  camp  about  midnight  September  7. 
Through  darkness  which  the  eye  could  not  pierce,  picking  distance  and  direction  by  the  sound 
of  the  hobnails  of  the  man  in  front,  for  an  hour  we  marched  until  we  came  to  a  railroad 
where  we  boarded  box-cars,  which  were  to  be  our  homes  until  we  arrived  at  Camp  Hunt 
in  the  southern  part  of  France.  At  Camp  Hunt  we  received  gas  masks  and  helmets,  in- 
structed as  to  their  use  and  received  instruction  on  the  75s. 

On  October  9,  being  fully  equipped,  rifles  and  all,  we  piled  into  box-cars,  42  to  a 
car,  and  left  Camp  Hunt  that  night  to  join  the  37th  Division  "up  there."  To  say  that  we 
were  packed  in  the  cars  like  sardines  would  be  an  exaggeration.  All  the  sardines  that  I 
ever  saw  were  in  either  mustard  or  oil  but  there  was  no  room  for  either  of  those  pre- 
'servatives  in  those  cars.  We  were  on  the  train  seven  nights  and  six  days.  The  train 
would  travel  in  a  circle  until  it  got  tired  when  it  would  shoot  off  at  a  tangent  for  awhile, 
then  back  on  the  circle  again  till  the  engineer  would  get  dizzy  when  it  would  stop  for  a 
long  rest.     Sleep  was  out  of  the  question.    The  only  sleep  we  got  was  the  sleep  of  exhaus- 


112  THE     LIAISON 

lion  and  then  we  slept  in  all  postures  imaginable.  There  was  more  scrapping  done  on 
those  box-cars  than  any  one  sector  of  the  front  during  the  entire  war.  Then  it  was 
that  the  good  old  American  wit,  humor  and  optimism  came  to  the  fore  and  saved  the  day. 

The  cooties  were  in  their  element  on  those  cars.  I  know  they  were  German,  for  no 
American  or  French  cootie  would  take  such  mean  advantage  of  our  cramped  and  crowded 
position  as  to  bite  us  when  we  had  no  chance  to  move  or  scratch  or  fight  back. 

Water  was  so  scarce  that  no  one  thought  of  using  it  to  wash  or  shave.  One  night  the 
engine  was  enjoying  one  of  its  frequent  rest  periods  in  the  rain  fifty  kilos  from  everyplace 
when  some  one  went  along  calling  off  the  names  of  the  men  who  were  to  get  off.  Almost 
seventy-five  got  off  and  pitched  their  shelter  tents  in  the  rain  and  darkness  and  we  moved 
on  into  the  night.  Two  days  later  we  arrived  at  the  same  point  and  picked  them  up.  Some- 
one had  pulled  a  bone.  They  were  nearly  starved  and  freely  expressed  their  opinion  of 
that  some  body  in  three  languages — English,  army  and  profane. 

At  long  and  at  last  we  detrained  at  Pagny-sur-Meuse.  I  do  not  know  whether  we 
had  passed  this  point  before  or  not  in  that  delirious  wandering  over  France.  After  two 
days  spent  in  the  woods  along  the  railhead  resting  we  started  full-pack  to  join  Bush's 
walking  artillery  at  Millery.  This  was  the  hardest  day  1  have  put  in  since  joining  the 
army.  It  was  all  uphill  hiking,  (I  have  never  hiked  downhill  since  I  have  been  in  the 
service),  and  we  made  the  first  ten  miles  at  a  fair  clip.  After  that  it  was  hell.  Whoever 
built  that  road  must  have  run  short  of  milestones  from  that  point  on.  Anyhow  from  this 
point  they  were  placed  further  and  further  apart  until  finally  some  kilos  tiiis  side  of  Millery 
they  ran  out  of  markers  altogether  and  it  was  impossible  to  tell  the  length  of  that  hike. 
We  had  no  grub  and  very  little  water.  I  never  felt  so  good  in  my  life  as  when  that  night 
after  a  wash  and  a  man-sized  meal  I  was  tucked  between  the  sheets  in  the  billet  of  the 
134th  F.  A.  at  Millery. 

The  next  morning  we  were  hauled  before  Col.  Bush,  who  after  looking  us  over  gave 
his  opinion  of  us  which  was  not  exactly  complimentary,  and  he  decided  that  we  needed 
a  bath.  After  a  thorough  policing  up  of  our  clothes  and  having  shaved  and  taken  a  bath 
we  felt  human  once  more  with  a  healthy  human  appetite  which  seemed  never  satisfied. 
Two  days  later  I  was  assigned  to  Headquarters  Company  of  the  same  regiment  at  Camp 
Guest  and  have   been   with  the  outfit  ever   since. 

I  consider  myself  to  have  been  very  lucky  to  be  placed  with  this  company  and 
organization.  Their  personnel  and  morale  could  not  have  been  beaten.  And  I  hereby 
notify  the  world  at  large  and  the  Headquarters  Company  in  particular  that  if  at  any 
time  in  the  future  any  old  king  or  country  wants  to  tangle  or  go  round  and  round  with 
Uncle  Sam,  my  old  Kelly  will  be  in  the  squared  circle  with  those  of  the  boys  of  the  old 
company  and  I  will  be  on  the  first  side-door  Pullman  that  offers  immediately  on  the 
receipt  of  the  news  of  the  reorganization  of   said  company. 

Yours   for  the   safety  of  all  Democrats, 

Private  A.  D.   Raftrookie, 

Hdqrs.  Company,  134th  F.  A., 
O.  K.   Censored.  Amer.    Ex.    Forces. 


P.  S.- 


Ohioans. 

I  knew  them  not  in  civil  life. 

But  "there,"  'tis  truth  to  tell, 
I  knew  them  when  they  fought  like  men. 

They  gave  old  Heinie  hell. 
I  may  be  poor  all  of  my  life, 

Perchance   may  make  a   stake. 
But   ril  e'er  be  proud  that  "there"   T  stood 

With  the  boys  of  the  Buckeye  State. 

A    D.  R. 


THELIAISON  113 


HOSPITAL  DAYS 

Geo.  H.  Bull. 

When  I  left  Laimont.  I  didn't  have  very  much  of  an  idea  as  to  where  I  was  going. 
But  after  riding  about  ten  years  in  a  box-car,  walking  miles  and  miles  through  railroad 
yards,  and  taking  another  seemingly  endless  journey  in  an  ambulance  driven  at  top  speed 
over  roads  rougher  than  I  ever  imagined  roads  could  be  1  found  myself  in  bed.  Some- 
one in  a  blue  uniform  was  trying  to  tell  or  ask  me  something  that  didn't  interest  me  in 
the  least, 

I  found  out  later  that  I  was  in  "Evacuation  Hospital  No.  51"  at  Jarville,  a  suburb  of 
Nancy.  After  resting  there  the  rest  of  the  day  and  that  night,  I  was  again  moved,  this 
time  to  the  Hospital  Militaire  in  Nancy,  where  I  found  things  much  more  endurable.  At 
Jarville  I  found  out  how  little  I  knew  of  French,  when  the  various  doctors  and  orderlies 
tried  to  find  out  all  sorts  of  personal  and  intimate  things  about  me  and  my  trouble.  But 
at  the  big  hospital  I  was  surprised  and  relieved  to  find  two  nurses  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  on  duty,  taking  care  of  the  little  group  of  sick  Americans  there. 

This  was  about  the  time  the  influenza  epidemic  was  at  its  worst,  and  because  the  nearest 
American  Base  Hospitals  were  at  Toul,  those  American  soldiers  who  were  taken  sick  in 
Nancy  were  sent  to  the  French  hospital.  So,  in  order  to  avoid  confusion  and  for  the 
comfort  of  our  men,  the  Red  Cross  sent  out  a  pair  of  trained  nurses  who  could  speak 
French  and  at  the  same  time  understand  us  and  our  needs. 

From  these  nurses  I  found  something  about  French  hospitals  in  general  and  about 
this  one  in  particular.  It  seems  that  a  large  military  hospital  is  built  by  popular  subscrip- 
tion in  every  department,  and  this  one — the  Hopital  Militaire  Seihllot — w-as  one  of  the 
newest  and  largest  in  the  country.  It  was  built  about  a  year  or  so  before  the  war  began 
and  the  best  part  of  it  is  that  a  large  part  of  the  money  put  in  it  was  donated  by  Germans 
living  in  Nancy  or  other  French-German  towns. 

The  hospital  consists  of  six  buildings,  each  about  300  feet  long  and  two  stories  high, 
all  connected  by  an  enclosed  passage  which  starts  at  the  main  entrance  and  leads  to  a 
pretty  little  chapel  in  the  rear.  Besides  these  six  buildings  there  are  the  laundry,  kitchen, 
heating  plant,  store-houses,  and  everything  that  goes  to  make  an  extraordinarily  complete 
unit.  All  the  buildings  are  of  pressed  brick  and  stone,  with  red  tile  roofs,  and  a  nice  coat 
of  ivy  has  started  up  the  walls.  The  buildings  are  quite  attractive  and  the  charm  of  the 
place  is  greatly  increased  by  the  surrounding  grounds,  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  acres, 
as  well  kept  as  any  park  or  lawn  at  home,  with  all  kinds  of  native  trees,  shrubs  and 
flowers.  There  are  also  very  fine  gravel  walks  and  drives.  The  main  buildings  are 
divided  by  glass  partitions  into  wards  and  private  rooms.  The  rooms  are  large  enough 
to  accommodate  two  beds,  two  or  three  chairs  and  a  table. 

In  the  end  of  one  building  there  was  a  little  group  of  Americans,  about  a  dozen, 
occupying  private  rooms  and  using  one  of  the  ward  rooms  as  a  sort  of  lounge.  It  was  a 
cosmopolitan  and  democratic  group  if  there  ever  was  one.  The  ranks  ranged  from  Buck 
Private  to  Major,  the  latter  being  Major  Schlegel  of  our  own  regiment.  Nearly  all  branches 
of  the  service  and  several  races  were  represented  in  that  little  family — Doughboys,  Quarter- 
master Corps,  General  Headquarters,  Flag-wavers  and  Wagon-soldiers.  One  of  the  nurses 
was  from  Ireland,  the  other  from  Australia,  and  we  had  several  members  of  the  92nd 
Division  (colored)  present  to  add  a  little  local  color.  One  man,  a  chauffeur  from 
G.  H.  Q..  had  been  in  the  service  for  fifteen  years  and  wore  ribbons  for  service  in  the 
Philippines  and  Mexico,  while  another  had  been  drafted  only  a  couple  of  months  before. 

After  a  week  or  so,  when  we  were  able  to  sit  up  and  take  notice,  we  became  better 
acquainted  and  began  to  enjoy  ourselves  a  little.  The  ones  who  caused  the  most  amuse- 
ment did  it  unconsciously.  The  Irish  nurse.  Miss  McCullough,  was  very  plain  spoken ; 
she  said  what  she  thought  very  plainly  and  some  of  her  remarks  were  rather  pointed.     It 


114  THE     LIAISON 

was  great  to  hear  her  tell  the  Medecin  Chef  just  what  was  what  when  she  thought  that 
we  v.'ere  not  getting  the  proper  attention,  and  to  hear  and  see  her  ask  some  poor  French 
soldier  what  he  wanted  when  he  came  wandering  down  to  bum  a  cigarette  from  us.  She 
did  not  like  them  very  well  and  would  always  have  something  to  say  about  "those  damn 
Frogs"  when  they  had  been  properly  snubbed  and  sent  on  their  ways.  She  did  not  like 
their  manners  and  customs,  while  Miss  Picken,  the  other  nurse,  always  spoke  in  their 
favor — just  for  the  sake  of  argument,  I  think — and  sometimes  the  discussion  grew  some- 
what heated. 

The  most  amusing  one  of  the  bunch  was  a  little  colored  boy  whom  we  knew  as  Collins. 
When  he  came  to  the  hospital  his  clothing  was  taken  from  him  to  be  fumigated,  and 
through  some  mistake  it  was  lost.  So  when  he  became  able  to  be  up  and  around  again  he 
gathered  up  several  suits  of  pajamas  and  a  pair  of  slippers — no  one  ever  found  out  exactly 
where  he  got  them.  He  was  a  willing  worker  and  the  nurses  drafted  him  into  service  as 
an  orderly,  to  help  serve  the  meals,  wash  dishes,  make  beds,  and  such  light  duties.  His 
favorite  expression  on  every  occasion  was,  "Yes,  Ma'am."'  He  used  it  regardless  of  whether 
he  had  been  told  to  do  something  or  told  not  to  do  it.  One  day  he  was  told  not  to  spill 
any  more  soup  than  he  could  help  and  of  course  he  answered,  "Yes,  Ma'am."  Miss  Mc- 
Cullough  asked  him,  "P'or  heaven's  sake,  Collins,  can't  you  say  anything  but  'y^s,  ma'am"? 
Say  'no'  just  once."     Said  Collins  with  a  grin  clear  across  his  face,  "Yes,  Ma'am.     No." 

He  went  by  the  name  of  Collins  all  the  time  and  one  day  when  the  hospital  officials 
wanted  some  more  information  for  their  records,  one  of  the  nurses  asked  him  what  his 
first  name  was.  He  thought  for  a  minute  and  then  admitted  that  he  did  not  know,  but 
said,  "When  ah  was  at  home  mah  mammy  called  me  Ellisworth  Collins,  but  since  ah's 
been  in  the  ahmy  they  calls  me  Collins  Ellisworth."  When  asked  how  he  liked  it  up  on 
the  lines  he  replied,  "Man,  that  sho'  is  a'  unhealthy  place." 

Besides  Collins  there  were  three  of  us  who  were  able  to  be  up  and  we  had  an 
enjoyable  time  for  a  week  or  so,  then  our  little  family  began  to  break  up.  There  was  the 
"old  timer"  and  the  man  from  the  homing-pigeon  detachment  of  the  Signal  Corps.  When 
this  S.  C.  man  came  in,  the  nurses  tried  to  find  out  his  name,  but  he  was  too  sick  to  have 
much  of  an  idea  what  he  was  saying.  All  that  could  be  understood  was  that  he  was  a 
Sergeant,  First  Class,  and  that  his  home  was  in  Philadelphia.  Ever  after  that  he  was  called 
either  Sergeant-First-Class  or  Pigeon,  because  Miss  Picken  said  that  he  always  seemed 
to  be  longing  to  get  back  to  his  pets,  and  anyway  Pigeon  was  easier  to  say  than  Sergeant- 
First-Class  or  Bopp. 

We  got  nothing  but  a  cup  of  cofifee  (the  French  kind)  from  the  hospital  for  breakfast, 
so  the  nurses  made  cocoa  for  us.  This  was  not  much  of  a  breakfast,  so  we  seldom  got 
up,  but  enjoyed  the  nice  soft  beds  until  about  nine  o'clock,  when  we  who  were  able  to. 
got  dressed  and  took  a  stroll  out  through  the  grounds  until  time  for  dinner. 

The  two  regular  meals  seemed  unusually  good  to  one  who  had  been  used  to  corned 
willie  and  hard  tack  and  had  been  living  on  soup  for  a  couple  of  weeks.  They  were  all  about 
the  same  but  the  only  thing  that  we  ever  grew  tired  of  was  the  vegetable  soup  which  seemed 
to  have  been  made  the  first  day  of  the  week  and  as  it  was  dished  out  the  pot  was  filled  with 
water  and  heated  over  and  over  again,  so  that  in  a  few  days  it  was  pretty  weak.  The 
meat  was  always  good,  well  cooked  and  plenty  of  it.  Mashed  potatoes  were  always  served 
and  some  other  vegetable, — cabbage,  peas,  or  lentils.  Bread,  cheese  and  some  really  good 
wine  made  up  the  rest  of  the  meal. 

All  of  that  sounds  rather  expensive  but  when  food  was  being  bought  in  large  quan- 
tities it  was  considerably  cheaper  than  retail  prices.  So  was  the  expense  of  heating,  light- 
ing and  laundry.  I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  it  was  being  done  for  about  five  francs 
per  day  per  man.  For  this  the  U.  S.  paid  ten  francs  per  daj'  for  every  American  taken 
to  the  hospital. 

After  dinner  one  day  the  three  of  us — Old  Timer,  Pigeon  and  myself — went  down  to 
Nancy  to  see  what  we  could  see.  We  visited  the  Cinema  and  wandered  all  over  the  city, 
taking  in  the  sights  recommended  by  the  nurses  and  the  "Y"  man.     Then  we  went  back 


THE     LIAISON  115 

by  the  "Y"  where  we  bought  our  nightlj'  supply  of  chocolate,  cakes  and  cigarettes  for 
ourselves  and  those  who  were  not  well  enough  to  go  so  far  away  from  the  hospital. 

Supper  over,  we  sat  up  a  short  time  in  the  big  ward  talking  over  the  experiences  of 
the  day,  and  most  every  other  subject  imaginable.  This  was  a  short  session,  for  all  of  us 
were  tired  out  when  we  got  back  even  though  we  did  travel  most  of  the  way  by  trolley 
and  what  walking  we  did  was  very  slow. 

One  night  was  different,  however,  for  then  Heinie  entertained  us  with  a  real  honest 
to  George  Washington  air  raid.  We  were  sitting  in  what  we  were  pleased  to  call  our 
parlor,  just  thinking  of  going  to  bed  when  two  big  sirens  began  to  howl  and  all  the 
bells  in  the  city  began  to  ring  wildly,  sounding  the  "Alerte"'  for  a  raid.  The  lights 
were  put  out  and  then  we  opened  the  windows  to  see  what  was  going  on.  But  we  could 
not  see  enough,  so  some  of  u^  went  outside  and  we  were  treated  to  a  fine  sight.  About  a 
dozen  search-lights  were  playing  their  beams  against  the  clouds,  and  here  and  there  little 
flashes  of  light  showed  where  the  shells  from  the  anti-aircraft  battery  were  bursting.  Then 
a  big  flare  bomb  was  dropped  which  exploded  and  lit  up  everything  around  the  hospital. 
Shortly,  with  a  great  ripping  crash,  a  bomb  struck  about  three  squares  from  the  hospital. 

That  was  when  Miss  Picken  and  I  worked  out  a  wonderful  scheme  to  gain  both  of 
us  some  notoriety.  I  was  to  be  struck  by  a  piece  of  shell,  a  brick  or  something,  and  she 
was  to  apply  a  first-aid  dressing  under  fire.  Thus  she  would  get  at  least  a  D.  S.  C.  and 
a  Croix  de  Guerre,  and  I  would  get  a  wound  stripe.  But  the  anti-aircraft  batteries 
frightened  the  Boche  away,  and  so  our  little  plan  did  not  materialize. 

The  next  morning  I  was  evacuated  as  cured,  and  so  ended  a  little  vacation  that  was  at 
once  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  most  miserable  times  that  I  have  had  since  coming  to 
France.  Pleasant,  on  account  of  the  rest  and  congenial  companions,  and  unpleasant 
because  when  one  has  the  flu  one  is  a  pretty  sick  sort  of  a  patient. 

From  Nancy  I  went  to  Toul.  This  time  I  travelled  in  something  other  than  box-cars, 
and  being  a  little  more  comfortable,  I  was  able  to  enjoy  the  scenery  a  little  more.  Arriving 
at  Toul  1  went  to  Base  Hospital  No.  51,  passed  through  the  receiving  and  pneumonia 
wards  theoretically,  and  finally  landed  in  an  evacuation  ward.  There  I  stayed  for  five 
days  waiting  for  enough  men  to  get  well  to  make  a  train  load. 

It  was  there  that  I  began  to  have  some  doubts  as  to  where  1  would  finally  land.  I 
was  constantly  wondering  where  the  outfit  was,  and  just  about  bothered  the  life  out  of 
the  hospital  officers,  at  least  I  talked  them  out  of  patience  trying  to  find  out  when  I  could 
be  sent  back.  Finally  a  big  bunch  from  all  the  hospitals  in  Toul  was  gathered  together 
and  sent  to, a  classification  camp  at  St.  Dizier  where  I  learned,  to  my  dismay,  that  I  was 
slated  to  hunt  up  the  37th  Division.  I  knew  that  the  regiment  was  not  far  from  where 
I  was  and  that  the  division  was  away  up  in  Flanders.  So  I  had  just  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  A.  W.  O.  L.  to  look  for  the  company  myself,  when  I  saw  Major  Schlegel,  who  had 
left  Nancy  a  week  before  I  did.  After  unwinding  yards  and  yards  of  army  red-tape,  the 
Major,  Lt.  Thomas  and  myself  started  out. 

From  that  time  on  it  was  easy,  for  a  Major  can  give  more  prestige  to  a  party  than 
a  Lieutenant  or  Colonel  could  ever  dream  of,  and  as  he  knew  just  where  we  were  going 
it  took  only  two  days  to  get  there — Vigneulles.  There  the  sight  of  all  the  familiar  faces, 
the  hearty  greetings  and  congratulations  from  so  many  men  whom  I  had  learned  to  know 
and  like  so  well,  made  that  day  one  that  will  be  remembered  for  a  long  time. 

The  a.  p.  O. 

I   have   been   asked   to   write   about   the    workings   and    organization   of   the    A.    P.   O. 
(American  Post  Office),  of  which  the  majority  of  the  men  in  the  A.  E.  F.  are  ignorant. 
The  M.  P.   E.  S.    (Military   Postal   Express  .Service)    was  established  to  get  the  mail 
from  the  base  ports  to  distribute  it  to  the  A.  E.  F, 

The  purpose  of  this  orgaization  is  to  receive  from  the  civil  postal  authorities  all  mail 
arriving  in  France  for  the  A.  E.  F.,  distribute  same  and  forward  it  to  its  destination.     It  is 


116  THE     LIAISON 

responsible  for  the  collection,  dispatch  and  delivery  of  all  mail  emanating  from  and  destined 
for  the  A.  E.  F.  Return  mail  is  collected  bj^  the  M.  P.  E.  S.  and  delivered  to  the  civil 
postal   authorities. 

Post  offices  in  the  Base  and  Intermediate  Section,  S.  O.  S.,  may  be  designated  by  the 
name  of  the  city  or  town  in  which  they  are  located.  Post  offices  in  the  Advance  Section, 
S.  O.  S.,  and  the  Zones  of  Advance,  are  designated  by  a  postal  code  number  assigned  by 
the  Director  of  the  M.  P.  E.  S. 

In  the  Advance  Section,  S.  O.  S.,  and  in  the  Zones  of  Advance  there  are  two  kinds 
of  code-numbered  post  offices — 'fixed  and  mobile.  Fixed  post  officers  are  those  permanent 
post  offices  which  serve  units  and  establishments  in  geographical  areas.  A.  P.  O.  705 
is  the  code  number  for  Bordeaux  and  the  number  and  place  always  remain  the  same. 
The  post  office  at  Camp  de  Souge  was  just  an  intermediate  post  office  between  Souge 
and  A.  P.  O.  705  at  Bordeaux.  At  Camp  de  Souge  we  had  a  little  trouble  in  getting 
our  mail  properly  because   it  was   being  dispatched  to   our   division. 

"Little  Local''  Flaharty  came  into  prominence  at  Souge.  A  "Little  Local"'  was  his 
usual  answer,  and  also  mine,  to  all  inquiries,  which  were  "beaucoup,"  concerning  the 
arrival  of  mail.  Here  I  might  explain  that  local  mail  was  all  mail  originating  in  the 
A.   E.  F. 

Mobile  post  offices  are  those  organized  within  Armies,  Corps  and  Divisions,  from 
Army,  Corps  and  Divisional  troops.  These  offices  move  with  the  unit  from  which 
they  are  created,  and  their  code  number  is  the  permanent  postal  address  of  all  organiza- 
tions comprising,  or  that  may  be  attached  to  that  unit.  The  37th  Division  mobile  A.  P.  O. 
number  is  763.  In  some  instances  our  mail  has  been  sent  to  Division  Headquarters 
because  it  was  marked  A.  P.  O.  763. 

It  is  erroneous  to  use  A.  P.  O.  763  as  an  address  on  our  mail  because  we  have  been 
detached  from  the  37th  Division.  In  our  particular  case  it  is  wrong  to  use  any  A.  P.  O. 
number  for  we  have  never  been  in  any  one  place  long  enough  to  use  a  number. 

Our  first  A.  P.  O.  number  was  705  at  Bordeaux,  then  763  at  Bar  le  Due,  766  at 
Marbache,  Headquarters  of  the  92nd  Division,  784  at  Toul,  744  at  Heudicourt,  Head- 
quarters of  the  28th  Division,  750  at  Villers  sur  Meuse,  Headquarters  of  the  33rd  Division. 
After  they  moved  we  were  left  to  do  business  at  A.  P.  O.  907  at  Bar  le  Due. 

Mail  arriving  at  Base  ports  is  turned  over  to  the  M.  P.  E.  S.  When  clearly  addressed 
it  is  forwarded  direct  to  its  destination,  otherwise  it  is  sent  to  the  Central  Post  Office  for 
sorting  and  re-direction. 

The  Central  Post  Office  is  a  station  for  re-directing  and  forwarding  all  mail  which 
can  not  be  re-directed  from  other  stations.  The  office  has  access  to  the  records  of  the 
Statistical  Section,  relative  to  the  movements  of  troops  and  individuals.  The  Central 
Post  Office  is  at  present  located  at  Bourges.     It  was   formerly  located  at  Tours. 

To  help  out  the  M.  P.  E.  S.,  a  postal  detachment  is  formed  from  the  Division, 
consisting  of  one  First  or  Second  Lieutenant,  two  Sergeants,  four  Corporals  and  twenty 
privates.  This  detachment  receives  the  mail  from  the  rail  head  and  makes  such  distribution 
as  is  necessary  and  is  supposed  to  deliver  the  mail  to  all  Regiments  served  by  them. 
Attached  to  each  postal  detachment  is  a  civil  employee  who  has  the  power  to  write  out 
money  orders  and  to  cash  money  orders. 

The  M.  P.  E.  S.  has  done  its  work  wonderfully  well  here  in  the  A.  E.  F.  Now  and 
then  there  were  a  few  delays  but  when  the  mail  did  arrive  all  delay's  were  forgotten. 
Very  little  blame  can  be  placed  on  the  M.  P.  E.  S.  because  they  were  short  of  men  and 
one  must  realize  that  at  the  time  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  there  were  about  two 
million  men  in  the  A.  E.  F.  to  serve. 

The  service  of  mail  was  a  privilege  granted  In-  General  Pershing  himself.  In  all 
former  wars  no  mail  was  received  or  dispatched  so  we  might  thank  our  God  that  v/e 
ever    received   a   letter. 

Russell  Rookstool,  Sgt.  Postman  134  F.  A. 


THE     LIAISON  117 


"LE  GUERRE  FINIS" 


A  Wail  of  the  Camp. 
CAMP   MARIAUX,   FRANCE,  January, 

1919,    Honorable 

NEWTON   D.   BAKER,   Secretary  of... 

WAR,   Washington,   D.   C, 

U.   S.   A.,   Dear   Sir: 

THERE  are  things  we  would  much. . . . .  . 

RATHER    do    than    .stand 

REVEILLE    at 

SIX    THIRTY    in    the 

MORNING    and    plough 

THRU   eighteen   inches   of    

OOZY  MUD  uphill  all  the 

WAY    to    the 

MESS   LINE   just  to 

GET    our    breakfast    of 

RICE    and    SOWBELLY    one 

MORNING 

AND  the  next  morning 

SOWBELLY   and   RICE 

WASHED   down   in   either.... 

CASE   with   condensed 

B-lood    P-oison,   mis-called    Coffee 

AND  we  would  like  to  say  also 

MISTER    BAKER 

THAT   this   would   be  bad 

ENOUGH  without  hiking 

EIGHTEEN    KILOMETERS    in 

MORE  OOZY  MUD  and 

FURTHERMORE  the  novelty  of 

BEING  K.   P 

BARRACKS    orderly  or    kitchen 

GUARD   has   all 

WORN  off  and  we  are  tired  of 

GATHERING 

ROCKS    to    build 

FIRE  PLACES  and  make  paths 

THRU    the    oozy 

Ml^D   nor   does 

THE  INDOOR  SPORT 

OF    listening , 

TO 

WILD    RUMORS 

INTEREST  us  any  longer 

MISTER  BAKER,  we  have  been 

OVER  here 

FOR   seven  months  and 

DIDN'T    mind    it 

MUCH   while  the 

WAR  was  on 

BUT, 


118  THE     LIAISON 

IF  this   is    PEACE, 

WON'T   you    please    start 

ANOTHER  WAR? 

IT 

WOULDN'T 

BE  so  bad  but 

WE  HEAR  that  the  men 

OVER  there  are  being 

DISCHARGED.     So  they  can  get 

UP  when  they  get  DAMN 

GOOD  and  ready.     Moreover 

THEY    eat  what 

THEY  want  for 

BREAKFAST  and 

We  hear  that  they 

PARADE 

THRU  town  with  overseas 

CAPS   and   service 

STRIPES    which    they 

NEVER  EARNED 

AND  at  the  military 

BALLS 

THEY  take  our  girls  and 

TRY  to  look  like 

HEROES 

AND  make  the  girls  think  that  the 

ONLY    difference 

BETWEEN  them  and  us  is  that 

THEY  didn't  get  to  come 

OVER    before    the 

ARMISTICE 

THEY  have  told  it  so 

OFTEN 

THAT  they  even  believe  it 

THEMSELVES,  so  now  mister 

SECRETARY 

OF  war  we 

WANT  TO  GO  HOME 

AND  check  the  spread  of 

THIS  EVIL  propaganda 

SO 

EVERYBODY  in  the 

OLD  HOME  TOWN  will   

KNOW  who 

WON  the  WAR 

We    are    looking   to 

YOU  and  if  you  can  help 

US  we  will  THANK  YOU 


Oh,  Colonel!     Oh,  Colonel!     The  truth  I  beg. 

When  do  we  start  for  home? 
"As  soon  as  I  eat  this  egg,"  he  said, 
Like  throwing  a  dog  a  bone. 


THE     LIAISON  119 

"Good  morning.     Have  you  any  bouillon  cubes  for  the  Sgt.  Major  this  morning?" 
Rex,  do  you  remember  the  problem  at  Boncourt,  "apres  le  guerre,"  when  the  doughboy 

guard   said,   "Button   up   that    raincoat  and  take   your   hands   out  of  your   pockets !"     And 

you  said,  "First  chance  I  get,  buddy." 

Goudy:  "Say,  fellers,  I'll  tell  you  just  how  it  was  now.  Yuh  see  on  the  mornin'  of 
the  'leventh  of  November,  the  Quartermaster  Corps  laid  down  a  barrage,  th'  Military 
Puhleece   went   over  the  top, — and  th'   war  wuz  won." 

Tune:     Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic. 
When   we  get   back   from   Germany, 

When  we  get  back   from  war ; 
The   National  Guard  can  go  to  Hell, 

We'll  re-enlist  no  more ; 
But  we'll  take  a  bath  and  change  our  clothes. 

And  by  the   Holy  Lord! 
We'll  jump  into  a  jitney  bus 

And  vote  for  Henry  Ford. 

Chorus. 
Damn,    damn,   damn   the   dirty   Germans, 
Damn,  damn,   damn   the   dirty    Huns ; 
We  will  blow  them  all  to   Hell,  with  a  high  explosive   shell ; 
We're   the  boys   that   stand   behind   the  three-inch   guns. 

HONEY  IS  A  DELECTABLE  ADDITION  TO  ARMY  EATS,  AT  LEAST  SO 
THOUGHT  SLEFFEL  MCQUAID  AND  SLIM  HARLOR  AT  ST.  GENEVIEVE,  AND 
IF  YOU  CAN'T  BUY  IT— TAKE  IT. 

WHO  WAS  THAT  RED-HEADED,  SANDY-MUSTACHED,  BURLY  INDI- 
VIDUAL THAT  TRIED  TO  CLIMB  THE  WHOLE  REGIMENT  AT  CAMP 
MARIAUX? 

Gaston:  "Here  is."  "He-ar.  Who  go  with  me  to  Nancy?"  "You  dare  to  ask  me 
another  leave?"  "Get  out  of  the  army  as  much  as  you  can."  "You  shall  see."  "It  is 
not  possible,  but — if  you  wish." 

The  "Radio"  gang  at  Vigneulles  will  remember  the  phone  call  every  morning  at  2 :00 
a.   m.  that   brought  a   shivering,  barefoot   visitor   from  below. 

Clinton  (entering  "Y"  in  Recourt  woods)  :  "What's  the  matter  with  this  place?  Why 
haven't  yon  got  a  fire?" 

Sheil :     "Go  build  one." 

Qint :     "Can't  find  any  wood." 

Sheil :     "Use  some  chips  off  your  own  block." 

Canfield:     "USE  YOUR   HEAD,   Sergeant." 

Marley,  do  you  remember  the  night  that  Hale  quieted  -your  noise? 

S-speed:     "Say,   Kate,  did  you  hear  about   Simpson?" 

Lauer:     "No.     What  did  he  do?" 

S-speed:    "He  taken  the  jaw  bone  of  an  ass  and  killed  forty  thousand  Philadelphians." 


120  THELIAISON 

To  My   Soldier  Boy. 
rm   feeling  pretty  worried   over  all  the  things   I  hear, 
Of  the  shrapnel  and  the  cannon  that  are  roaring  'round  you,  dear; 
Of  the   Zeppelins  and   airplanes   and   the   snaky   submarine, 
But  the  worst  of  all  the  things  I  feel,  that  nearly  turns  me  green, 
Is  the  fear  of  all  the  damsels  you'll  be  meeting  over  there — 
The  Parisian  and  the  Belgian  maids  with  their  fascinating  air; 
So  be  a  loyal  lover,  don't   forsake  the  girl  back  home ; 
No  matter  how  they  smile  at  you,  don't  let  your  fancy  roam. 

For  the  French  girls  are  so  pretty,  and  the  nurses  are  so  kind. 
But  do  not  be  a  traitor  to  the  girl  you  left  behind. 
I  know  that  you  are  loyal  to  the  old  Red,  White  and  Blue, 
And  I  hope  that  you  are  loyal  to  your  little  sweetheart,  too. 

Against  the  Huns  they  spell  with  "U"  you'll  hold  your  own,  I  know, 
But  I  fear  you  may  be  ambushed  by  the  hons  they  spell  with  "o." 
Stand  guard  against  temptation,  don't  surrender  to  their  charms. 
And  wait  'till  you  come  back  to  me  before  presenting  arms. 

Leave  the  French  girls  to  the  French  men,  and  the  nurses  to  the  Docs, 
But  the  Soldier  Boy  in  Khaki  is  for  the  girl  who  knits  his  socks. 
Though  the  French  girls  may  be  pretty,  the  nurses  may  be  kind. 
Oh,  do  not  be  a  traitor  to  the  girl  you  left  behind. 

By   "Somebody's"   Girl. 

Reflections. 
Corn  Willie  the  First:     "How  many  cans  per  man?"     "Any  mail.   Hank?"     ".\  little 
local." 

"We  thank  jou  very  much.  Major."     "Oh !     That's  all  right,  don't  mention  it.     It  is 
just  my  little   Christmas  gift  to  you." 

Okey:     "Doc,  get  me  the  gomiometer;   I  want  to  locate  myself." 
Chinnis :     "What's  the  matter  with  the  mail  ?     It  never  was  so  late  before." 
Rex :     "Good,  I'm  glad."     "ONE   Saturday  night."     "Whew  I     Ain't  it  warm !"     "Oh,^ 
gosh!      Oh,    jolly!"     "Do  you   know   anything   about   a   hay-wagon?''     "Was   you    ever   in 
Pittsburgh?"     "Say,   Speed,  are  \'OU  a  kitchen  police?" 

101  Ran^h,  Recourt  Barracks:     "Who  do  we  want  for  Mayor?"  " ."     "Three 

rousing  cheers  from  the  angry  mob."     "Oh, !     Oh,  !!     Oh,  ! ! !" 

X^4Bar-B  Ranch,  Recourt  Barracks : 
Pay-day  night !     V      G       1       ! ! 

i  e    a  Bi  k      S-E-V-E-N-D-A-Y-S! ! ! 
n        r      n 

Dan  Wooten :     "How  many  seconds  in  that  line  thar?" 

Schmitty:     "Jungle-Buzzers,  fall  in." 

Pinkie:     "Did  you'ens  fellows  get  enuf  to  eat?" 

Hop :     "Who's  got  a  magazine  to  trade  ?" 

Hoffy:     "Are  there  any  dugouts  around  here?" 

Walmsley:     "Now,  when  I  was  in  the  Navy, "  '" 

Drifif :    "Hoi'  'em  artill'ry,  inf'ry  tumin'." 
Seccombe :     "Ain't   she  a   dandy." 
Abbott :     "Where  do  yuh  get  that  stuff  ?" 
Pop  Spinner:     "The  war's  over,  by  gum." 


THE     LI  Also  N  121 

Barber    Mack :     "Shave   and  a  haircut,   five   francs." 

Rhiglmg:     "Now,  my  contract  says  I  post  bills  for  the  Greatest  Show  on  Earth." 

Peckhorn :     "Das   ist   verboten." 

Fitz:     "Kin  you  imagine  that?" 

Abie   Whalen,  the  Crown   Prince. 

Appleman :  "I'm  just  a  kid  trying  to  get  along."  "I'll  see  that  you  get  out  of  the 
army  for  that."  "How  do  we  stand?" 

And  John  Mack  was  gassed. 

Whit :     "That  ain't  no  trouble  hardly." 

Barrett :     "That's  what  you  want   for  speed." 

Bobbie   Myers:      "Aw^    fer   th'    love   o'    Mike,    Serg.,    I    was   just   on   a   detail." 

Speed:  "Dan  Wooten  plumb  ruint  me."  "Pursian,  what'd  you  want  tu'  run  'way  frum 
me   for?"     I   wa'nt  scared  when  them  big  shells   cum   over,  you  tell   'em   that.   Sergeant." 

"Why'uh,    Napoleon.    Napoleon !" 

The  Bird  Club :  The  Eagle — Friel ;  Buzzard — Jones ;  Crow — Borden ;  Sparrow — Wal- 
ker ;    Dove — Schmitt ;    Wren^ — Senn  ;    Jay — Count ;    Peacock — Moore ;    Owl — Burton. 

A.   E.   F.  Motor  Schools. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  third  week  in  August,  1918,  I  was  called  into  the 
Regimental  office  by  Capt.  Babbitt,  and  asked  if  I  would  like  to  attend  a  school  in 
motor  mechanics  and  advised  that  if  I  so  desired  I  would  be  given  the  opportunity.  I 
decided  that  I  would  like  to  go,  and  my  name  was  submitted.  After  it  had  passed 
through  a  course  of  Army  Red  Tape,  a  memorandum  came  through  ordering  me,  together 
with  some  other  men  of  the  62nd  F.  A.  Brigade,  to  the  American  Section  of  the  French 
Motor   School   at   Camp    Sathonay,   near  L.yon. 

We  left  Camp  de  Souge  on  the  29th  of  August,  going  by  motor  truck  to  Bordeaux, 
Here  we  entrained  at  the  Midi  Station  for  Lyon,  passing  through  the  cities  of  Augouleme, 
Poitiers,    Clermont-Fer   and   Roanne    enroute. 

We  arrived  in  Lyon  on  September  1st  and  were  conveyed  to  the  camp  about  three  kiols 
from  the  city.  Here  we  were  quartered  in  large,  wooden  barracks,  fitted  with  electric 
lights,  wooden  floors,  comfortable  bunks,  and  other  cam.p  conveniences  hitherto  unfound 
in   France. 

The  school  opened  on  the  5th  with  a  student  body  of  about  five  hundred  men.  The 
first  week  was  nothing  more  than  a  classification  of  the  men,  according  to  their  respective 
merits,  knowledge  of  motors  and  abilities.  Experts  were  assigned  immediately  as  in- 
structors. 

On  the  second  week  school  opened  in  earnest.  Fifteen  men  were  assigned  to  a 
class  to  have  a  week's  instruction  on  one  particular  make  of  motor.  We  were  a  pretty 
sick  bvmch  when  we  saw  the  motors  that  we  had  to  work  on.  They  were  old  French  cars, 
that  had  been  sadly  abused  on  the  front.  There  wasn't  a  clean  spot  on  them,  everything 
about  them  was  covered  with  mud,  grease  and  rust,  and  all  in  all  presented  a  very 
uninviting  appearance.  There  was  everything  there  from  motorcycles  to  caterpillar 
tractors.  The  only  "American  Made"  motor  to  be  seen  in  the  bunch  was  the  world 
renowned  "Henry." 

The  ones  that  were  assigned  to  the  caterpillar  section  were  made  separate  from  the 
rest  of  the  school,  and  devoted  their  time  to  caterpillars  only.  The  rest  of  the  class 
received  a  certain  number  of  days  training  from  "Henry's"  motor  to  the  heavy  Renault 
Quad. 

I  was  made  a  Sergeant  instructor,  and  detailed  to  teach  the  driving  and  operation  of 
the   heavy   Renault   Quad. 

The  camp  mess  was  carried  on  by  the  French  and  consisted  entirely  of  Frog  rations. 
One  thing  you   could  always  be   sure  of  and  that  was   soup  and  carrots.     But  the  camp 


122  THELIAISON 

restrictions  were  very  lenient,  and  we  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  Lyon,  where  there 
was  "beaucoup"  everything  in  the  line  of  eats,  and  all  other  lines  too  as  far  as  that  goes. 

Lyon  is  the  second  largest  city  in  France,  and  in  my  opinion,  in  comparing  it  with 
other  cities  I  have  visited,  it  has  it  over  the  rest  like  a  tent,  not  even  eliminating  Paris. 
Believe  me,  she  is  some  village. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  school,  which  was  of  five  weeks'  duration,  forty-eight  of  us 
were  retained  as  instructors  and  remained  as  such  through  three  successive  schools. 
The  instructors  had  things  pretty  soft,  being  billeted  apart  from  the  students,  having  their 
own  mess  and  other  comforts  not  enjoyed  by  the  student  body.  During  this  period  I 
was  detailed  as  chauffeur  to  the  camp  commander  and  took  many  extensive  trips  as 
such,  visiting  parts  and  cities  of  France,  both  new  and  interesting  to  me,  and  which  I 
could  not  otherwise  have  seen. 

Among  the  cities  I  visited,  the  principal  ones  were  Paris.  Marseilles,  Vignon,  Valence, 
Nevers,  Besancon  and  Dijon.  Of  all  the  places  of  interest  to  be  seen  in  the  different 
cities,  the  ones  that  impressed  me  most  were  the  Art  Galleries  of  Paris  and  Marseilles 
and  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  in  Lyon. 

In  my  particular  billet  we  had  a  clique  known  as  the  "Bottle  Club,"  the  members, 
five  in  number,  all  hailed  from  the  62nd  F.  A.  Brigade.  We  had  a  little  get  together 
every  night.  The  chief  form  of  entertainment  was  America's  most  popular  indoor  sport, 
the  "Old  Army  Game,"  probably  more  widely  known  as  poker.  We  frequently  enter- 
tained and  were  entertained  by  the  Vin  Sisters  and  some  of  their  numerous  relatives. 

The  school  closed  on  the  14tli  of  December,  the  signing  of  the  armistice  making  it 
unnecessary  for  it  to  continue.  The  instructors  were  ordered  to  the  American  Motor 
School  at  Le  Blanc.  Here  1  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  motorcycle  section  of  the 
school.  I  had  quite  a  large  class,  with  about  fifty  machines,  Harley-Davidsons  and 
Indians,  for  them  to  work  on.  This  school  came  to  a  close  for  the  same  reason  as  the 
other  one,  on  the  24th  of  November.  Practically  all  of  the  students  were  returned  to 
their  respective  organizations,  the  remaining  ones,  together  with  some  of  the  instructors, 
were  sent  to  the  Army  of  Occupation.    The  rest  of  us  were  sent,  as  casuals,  to  Camp  Hunt. 

Camp  Hunt,  outside  of  being  the  largest  casual  camp  in  France,  is  also  the  original 
Frog  Pond  of  that  country.  It  is  situated  about  fifty  kilos  southwest  of  Bordeaux,  within 
thirty  minutes'  walk  of  Argachon,  the  Atlantic  City  of  France.  Our  chief  occupation  in 
this  camp  was  policing  up  an  old  artillery  range,  and  carrying  in  enough  wood  to  keep 
warm,  and  enable  the  cooks  to  kick  out  our  chow.  We  spent  our  leave  time  in  Bordeaux, 
Argachon  and  other  towns  about  camp. 

From  the  28th  of  December  until  the  10th  of  January,  I  was  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the 
Camp  Personnel  Officer.  I  dogged  his  steps,  badgered,  pleaded  and  threatened  him 
(this  last,  however,  was  in  a  very  subdued  voice)  till  he  saw  things  in  the  light  I  wished 
him  to.  namely,  sending  me  back  to  my  old  outfit.  He  finally  issued  the  order  and  I 
started  out  to  find  said  organization,  which,  as  later  events  proved,  was  no  light  under- 
taking. I  began  to  lose  hope  of  ever  finding  it.  and  to  fear  that  "Heinie"  had  erased  them 
from  the  Rolls  of  the  A.  E.  F.  But  after  doing  a  Sherlock  Holmes  all  over  the  area 
in  which  they  were  supposed  to  be  located,  I  found  them  secreted  in  a  camp  in  the  woods, 
far  from  the  "Habitat  of  the  Fair  Demoiselles,"  and  was  sure  one  glad  soldier  in  the 
finding. 

M.  A.   RiNGO. 


THE     LIAISON 


123 


Artillery  Song. 

When  you're  lying  in  the  rain, 

With  a  shrapnel   in  your  brain ; 
Then  you'll  never  see  your  sweetheart  any  more; 

When  you've  lost  your  old  first  section 

And  the  Huns  have  your  deflection, 
Then  you'll  never  see  your  gun  crew  any  more. 

Chorus. 

When  the  guns  are   roaring  yonder. 

When  the  guns  are   roaring  yonder, 

When  the  guns  are   roaring  yonder, 

When  the  guns  are   roaring  yonder, 
I'll  be  there. 


When  the   shells  are  flying  by. 
Just   like   raindrops    from   the   sky; 
Then  you'll  never  see  your  sweetheart  any  more; 
When    your    ammunition    train 
Is  Shot  to  Hell  and  back  again, 
Then  you'll  never  see  your  caissons  any  more. 

Chorus. 

When  the   red  spot  on  your  jacket, 
Shows  that  Heinie's  got  your  bracket, 

Then  you'll  never  see  your  sweetheart  any  more; 
When  the  guns   which   roar  like  thunder. 
Shoot  your  old  wheel  team   from  under ; 

Then  you'll  never  see  your  drivers  any  more. 

Chorus. 


When  your  gas  mask   isn't  working. 

Where   the   mustard  gas   is   lurking, 
Then  you'll  never  need  your  gas  mask  any  more. 

When   two-tens   are   flying  by. 

Just  like   rain   down   from   the   sky, 
Then  you'll  never  see  your  sweetheart  any  more. 

Chorus. 

When  you've  fought  a  long,  long  time, 

And  passed  the  old   Hindenburg  line; 
Then  you're  sure  to  see  your  sweetheart  once  again. 

When  the  Stars  and   Stripes  are  flying 

From   the   Linden   in   Berlin, 
Then   you're   sure   to  see  your  sweetheart   once   again. 


Chorus. 


124  THELIAISON 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 

Our  Touch  With  Auxiliary  Organizations  of  the  A.   E.  F. 

Not  until  the  combined  forces  of  France,  England  and  Belgium's  "contemptible" 
armies  had  defeated  the  trained  and  well  equipped  forces  of  Kaiser  Wilhelm  in  the  first 
battle  of  the  Marne  and  then  held  them  against  great  odds  in  the  mud  of  Flanders  did  the 
Allied  leaders  realize  the  significance  of  Napoleon's  statement  when  he  said.  "Morale 
is  to  other  factors  in  war  as  three  to  one.*'  Being  outnuml^ered  both  in  men  and  guns 
the  forces  opposing  the  Germans  were  due  for  a  defeat  if  the  morale  or  fighting  spirit 
of  the  men   was   lost. 

With  this  fact  before  them  the  homes  throughout  the  Allied  countries  were  anxious 
to  give  all  comfort  and  aid  possible  to  the  soldiers.  Time  was  not  so  long  ago  when  neither 
the  suffering  bodies  nor  the  harrassed  and  weary  minds  of  men  were  provided  for  in  a 
nation's  plans  for  war.  But  with  the  bloodiest  and  fiercest  war  of  history  facing  the 
world  something  had  to  be  done  to  relieve  the  suffering  and  strain  of  battle  if  right 
was  to  be  victorious. 

It  was  a  great  challenge  that  was  thrown  out  to  the  thousands  of  loyal  people  wlio 
were  determined  that  democracy  and  freedom  would  live  and  autocracy  go.  Gladly  the 
challenge  was  answered  and  through  the  Red  Cross  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  help  was  sent  to  the 
fighting  men  in  France  and  England  long  before  the  U.  S.  took  her  place  on  the  battle 
line.  But  as  soon  as  war  was  declared  the  opportunity  was  increased  and  the  two 
organizations  tliat  had  started  the  work  were  joined  by  the  K.  of  C.,  Salvation  Army 
and  Jewish  Welfare  League.  Their  field  for  service  was  the  whole  world  for  the  Allied 
forces  were  on  every  battle  front  from  Palestine  to  Flanders,  in  hundreds  of  training 
camps  throughout  America,  England  and  Belgium,  France  and  Italy,  on  the  high  seas, 
in  the  hospitals  and  prison   camps. 

The  task  facing  the  different  organizations  was  far  greater  than  any  of  us  realize 
for  they  were  unable  to  get  enough  workers  and  in  some  cases  were  compelled  to  accept 
men  and  women  who  were  not  capable  of  carrying  on  the  true  spirit  of  the  work  among 
the  soldiers.  With  all  classes  of  people  to  serve  it  was  impossible  to  satisfy  each  and 
every  one.  But  in  spite  of  many  drawbacks  and  hardships  their  work  reached  every 
soldier  in  service  and  helped  to  keep  him  satisfied  as  far  as  possible. 

Our  company  is  one  .imong  thousands  that  took  part  in  the  greatest  of  all  wars,  and 
as  we  look  over  the  long  trail  that  lead  from  home  through  the  training  camps  and 
then  to  the  field  of  honor  we  have  been  very  fortunate.  Every  organization  has  helped  us 
and  made  our  army  life  far  more  pleasant  than  it  would  have  been  should  they  have 
never  taken   up   the  work. 

For  the  majority  of  Headquarters  men  Camp  Sheridan  was  the  place  where  they 
received  an  introduction  to  the  many  discouraging  and  trying  experiences  of  army  life, 
It  was  also  there  that  many  fellows  came  in  contact  with  some  of  the  auxiliary  organiza- 
tions that  were  playing  such  a  great  part  in  the  army  camps.  Many  had  never  known 
what  it  was  to  give  up  the  comforts  of  the  home  and  the  companionship  of  friends.  As 
ihe  monotony  of  camp  life  came  on  there  was  an  increasing  demand  for  entertainment  and 
for  a  real  friend.  Both  were  found  in  "Y  Hut  No.  59"  where  Paul  Nollen.  a  broad- 
minded  secretary,  was  thinking  of  the  welfare  of  every  soldier.  His  untiring  and  unselfish 
efforts  won  the  respect  of  the  men  who  entered  the  only  place  they  could  call  home.  The 
K.  of  C.  hall  on  the  corner  also  welcomed  every  man  in  uniform  and  stood  ready  to  play 
a  big  part  with  the  other  organizations,  It  is  unnecessary  to  speak  of  the  work  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A..  K.  of  C,  and  Red  Cross  in  Camp  Sheridan  for  everyone  knows  that  they 
played  a  great  part  in  keeping  the  men  contented  and  entertained. 

Being  anxious  to  move,  every  man  was  happy  to  start  for  the  coast  but  not  so  anxious 
to   leave   our    homes   and    country.     Our   journey    from    Montgomery    to    New    York    will 


T  H  E     L  I  A  I  S  O  N  123 

never  be  forgotten  because  the  Red  Cross  chapters  all  along  the  way  had  their  repre- 
sentatives at  the  stations  to  serve  the  men  and  bid  them  good-bye.  It  helped  every 
soldier  to  realize  that  the  people  were  backing  us  and  soon  we  became  a  part  of  the  great 
Nation  that  was  in  the  war  to  fight  for  right  and  win. 

The  kindness  of  every  Red  Cross  worker  reminded  us  of  our  homes  and  they  were 
there  to  represent  our  mothers,  sisters,  and  sweethearts  to  say  good-bye  and  make  us 
feel  that  they  were  proud  of  us  because  we  were  doing  our  duty. 

While  waiting  in  Camp  Upton  for  sailing  orders  the  different  organizations  enter- 
tained all  the  soldiers  and  helped  them  to  be  contented.  When  we  finally  received  the 
command  to  climb  the  gang-plank  the  Red  Cross  was  there  to  bid  us  a  last  farewell.  Our 
voyage  across  the  sea  was  very  tiresome  and  without  the  many  books  and  games  furnished 
by  the  two  Y.  M.  C.  A.  men  who  accompanied  us  our  trip  would  have  more  unpleasant. 

In  each  rest  camp  in  England  that  we  passed  through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  K.  of  C. 
had  their  workers  who  welcomed  the  men  and  tried  to  serve  the  great  crowds  with  their 
small  supply.  But  every  act  of  kindness  was  appreciated,  for  that  was  the  time  when  a 
"'feller  needed  a  friend." 

Our  first  box-car  ride  from  Le  Havre  to  Bordeaux  was  far  from  pleasant  and  the 
only  aid  we  received  was  from  the  Red  Cross  when  t!iey  gave  us  hot  coffee.  Then  came 
Camp  de  Souge  with  dry,  hot  days  and  sand.  But  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  helped  to  break  the 
monotony  with  movies  and  entertainments,  and  gave  us  a  place  to  go  where  we  could  vrile 
and  spend  our  time  much  better  than  in  our  barracks. 

While  the  soldiers  were  training  in  the  various  camps  it  was  not  very  difficult  lor  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  K.  of  C.  to  serve  them  in  their  huts  but  after  they  were  ordered  to 
the  front  it  was  impossible  for  any  organization  to  serve  all  the  men  in  the  way  that  they 
had  back  of  the  lines  when  they  were  all  in  a  group. 

Unfortunately  we  saw  very  little  of  the  representatives  from  any  of  the  auxiliary 
organizations  during  our  period  on  the  front.  At  St.  Genevieve  there  was  a  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
but  the  majority  of  men  in  the  Battalion  Detachments  were  unable  to  leave  their  work  long 
enough  to  receive  any  of  the  help  or  service.  While  at  Vignuelles  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  K.  of  C, 
and  Salvation  Army  each  did  a  little  for  the  men  but  their  supplies  were  so  limited  that  they 
were  unable  to  do  all  they  wished.  The  K.  of  C.  passed  along  the  line  and  gave  the  men 
some  cigarettes,  gum  and  chocolate.  Five  Y.  AI.  C.  A.  workers  gave  an  entertainment  in 
a  barn  at  Hassavant  Farm  which  did  all  the  Doughboys  and  Artillerymen  more  good  than 
anything  they  could  have  done.  At  St.  Benoit  a  number  of  men  from  the  Second  Battalion 
Detachment  were  able  to  get  doughnuts  and   cakes   from  a   Salvation   Army  worker. 

While  some  men  were  helped  by  the  three  organizations  mentioned,  others  were 
quartered  in  different  places  and  were  left  out  entirely.  The  same  was  true  all  along  the 
front  and  at  times  when  we  were  left  without  any  help  some  other  regiment  or  company 
was  being  helped. 

But  the  time  that  we  needed  the  work  of  one  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  K.  of  C.  workers 
was  during  our  stay  at  Camp  Mariaux  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  With  no 
entertainment,  reading  material  or  recreation  we  realized  how  much  the  different  organiza- 
tions had  meant  to  us  during  our  periods  of  training.  After  three  or  four  weeks  of 
waiting,  Mr.  Colby,  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary,  came  to  our  rescue  and  did  all  he  was 
permitted  to  do.  He  was  able  to  get  a  few  books,  magazines  and  canteen  supplies.  If 
he  had  been  given  full  charge  the  men  could  have  had  better  service  but  even  as  it  was 
everyone  was  very  thankful  for  what  he  did  to  help  break  the  monotony  of  the  life  on  the 
hill-side. 

We  were  all  very  happy  when  orders  came  to  leave  Camp  Mariaiix  but  no  one  was 
anxious  for  another  box-car  ride.  Without  the  kindness  of  the  Red  Cross  during  our  long 
journey  to  Le  Lion  d" Angers  the  ride  would  have  been   very  unpleasant  had  it  not  been 


126 


THE     LIAISON 


for  the  fact  that  we  could  look  forward  to  the  Red  Cross  service  along  the  waj*.  Mr. 
Stimpson,  one  of  our  secretaries  from  "Y"  59  at  Sheridan,  was  waiting  for  us  at  Le  Lion 
with  hot  chocolate,  cakes  and  a  glad  welcome.  It  seemed  like  old  times  to  have  him  with 
us  again  and  all  the  time  we  were  there  he  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  ladies  gave  us  the  best 
service  possible. 

After  going  to  Brest  we  saw  the  splendid  work  being  done  there  b\-  the  Red  Cross, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  K.  of  C.  for  the  thousands  of  men  passing  through  that  great  camp. 
Every  day  the  buildings  were  packed  with  soldiers. 

But  the  greatest  day  of  all  was  when  we  marched  up  the  gang-plank  again  and  knew 
that  we  were  really  on  our  way  home.  As  usual  the  Red  Cross  was  there  to  wish  us  a 
'*bon  voyage."  Their  presents  were  verj-  much  appreciated  the  same  as  their  welcome  at 
Newport  News. 

Now  that  we  are  all  back  home  again,  well  and  happy,  there  are  many  memories  that 
will  alwa\-s  mean  much  to  us.  Each  one  has  his  likes  and  dislikes  but  there  isn't  one  who 
can  say  that  he  hasn't  received  more  from  the  auxiliary  organizations  than  he  ever  put 
into  them.  To  them  every  soldier  in  the  American  and  Allied  armies  is  indebted  for  the 
aid  and  encouragement  given  during  the  greatest  period  of  our  lives. 

Let  us  be  big  enough  to  overlook  their  mistakes  and  show  our  appreciation  the  same 
as  we  expect  those  at  home  to  forget  the  unhappy  things  of  the  past  and  remember  the 
fact  that  we  all  have  served. 


The  Old  Man. 


He's  a  gruff 

"Old  Cuss." 

Roars  like 

A  young  volcano 

On  all  occasions — 

In  the  field, 

In  the  office, 

At  inspections. 

BUT. 

The  134th  is  a 

"Topnotcher." 


We  like 

Him 

Because 

We  have  found, 

That  under 

All  the  gruffness. 

There  is  a 

Great  big  heart 

In 

"OUR  OLD  MAN." 


The  Froggie. 


The  Froggie  lives  in  "la  belle  Frawnce," 

That  place  of  sun  and  flowers. 
The  scenic  beauty  of  his  land 

Defies  the  poet's  powers. 
The  climate  of  our  health  resorts 

Is  not  a  circumstance. 
Compared  to  what  the  Frog  enjoys 

In  his  beloved  France. 
Ah,  wee,  it  rains  some  every  day. 

To  be  exact  it  pours ; 
And  in  the  mud  of  "sunny  Frawnce" 

Our  Froggie  hunts  wild  boars. 


The  Frog  is  famed  throughout  the  world 

For  hospitality. 
For  "Liberte,"  "Egalite," 

And  bon  "Fraternite." 
So  when  the  Yankees  came  to  fight 

For  world's  democracy. 
The  Frog  threw  out  his  open  arms 

And  shouted  "Nos  amis" ; 
Our  flag  he  waved,  our  praise  he  sang 

In  terms  that  sounded  fine. 
And  then,  to  further  show  his  love — 

He  raised  the  price  of  wine. 


THE     LIAISON 


127 


The  Frog  said  "Make  yourselves  at  home, 

For  you  naught  is  too  good, 
Expressly  for  your   comforts  we 

Have  billets  in  the  wood. 
There  are  no  cities  close  at  hand 

To  lure  your  men  astray. 
Our  village  folk  will  treat  you  well 

And  help  you  spend  your  pay." 
The  Frog  now  said,  in  anxious  voice, 

"One  favor  if  you  please, 
Don't  damage  any  property 

And  don't  cut  down  our   trees." 


But  hand  it  to  the  Frog  we  must, 

For  deeds  of  bravery. 
Four  years  he  fought  against  the  yoke 

Of  German   slavery. 
He  raved  and  cried  and  tore  his  hair. 

Pulled  down  his  helmet  well, 
Screwed  up  his  manly  courage  and 

Went  out  to  give  'em  hell. 
Then  as  the  bullets  whistled  and 

Upon  his  tin  hat  beat 
A  friendly  dug-out  caught  his  eye — 

And  in  he  went  "tout  suite." 


They  finally  signed  the  armistice. 

And  made  the  Froggie  quit. 
He  put  away  his  lengthy  gat 

For  he  had  done  his  bit. 
Quite  soon  they  had  him  mustered  out 

And  he  was  free  to  roam, 
He  piled  a  bunch   of  ruins  up 

And  'ouilt  himself  a  home. 
We  don't  mind  waiting  here  in  Frawnce 

Until  we  lose  our  hair, 
What  gets  our  goat  is  that  old  Frog 

With  his  "Feeneesh  la  Guerre" ! 


D.  V. 


Hail!     Hail!     The  Beer's  All  Gone. 

They've  voted  old  Ohio  dry. 

But  I  don't  give  a  d — n. 
As  I  haven't  had  a  real  good  drink 

Since  I  signed  with   Uncle  Sam. 

All  we  can  get  here  is  sour  grape  juice. 

And  the  Vin  Blink  they  sell  us  is  rotten ; 

While  the  good  old  beer  of  the  U.  S.  A. 
Is  gone  but  not  forgotten. 

I  don't  think  they  treated  us  fellows  quite  right 

When  the  voted  the  old  State  dry. 
While  we  were  up  front  giving  old  Heinie  hell 
And  trying  our  best  not  to  die. 

Now  they've  boosted  the  price  of  all  the  soft  drinks, 

Of  root-beer  and  sodas,  I  hear; 
They  can  boost  them  sky  high,  but  until  I  die 

I'll  always  want  for  a  good  glass  of  beer. 


If  the  people  who  voted  Ohio  dry 

Had  only  stopped  to  think. 
That  the  boys  who  went  through  this  hell  of  war 

Would  maybe   some  day  want  a  drink ! 

Slip  and  Slim. 


128  THELIAISON 

An   American   Creed. 

I  believe  in  the  United  States  of  America  as  a  government 
by  the  people — for  the  people;  whose  just  powers  are  derived  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed ;  a  democracy  in  a  republic ;  a 
sovereign  Nation  of  many  States ;  a  perfect  union  and  one  in- 
separable; established  upon  these  principles  of  freedom,  equality, 
justice  and  humanity  for  which  American  patriots  sacrificed  their 
lives  and  fortunes. 

I,  therefore,  believe  that  it  is  my  duty  to  my  country  to  love 
it ;  to  support  its  Constitution ;  to  obey  its  laws ;  to  respect  its 
flag  and  to  defend  it  against  all  enemies. 

H.  C.  CoxE,  Delegate  to  France. 

Mustered  Out. 

I  dream  and  in  my  dream  I  see  I  dream  and  in  my  dream  I  see 

A  ship  that  sails  the  ocean  free,  A  discharge  paper  handed  me, 

And  on  its  decks  are  smiling  men  And  with  a  dizzy  whirling  brain 

With  faces  toward  the  West  again.  I  get  aboard  a  home-bound  train. 

I  dream  and  in  my  dream  I  view  I  dream  and  in  my  fancy  roam 

A  ga}^  and  flag-decked  avenue.  The  old  familiar  haunts  of  home. 

While  throngs  of  people  'long  the  side  I  revel  in  civilian  charms 

Give  cheers  for  old  Ohio's  pride.  And  hold  a  sweetheart  in  my  arms. 

The  Editor's  Quill. 

This  little  book  we  hand  to  you 

Of  what  Headquarters  has  been  through. 

Midnight  oil  the  editors  burned. 

And  hope  that  now  your  thanks  they've  earned. 

A  few  mistakes  they  may  have  made 

Of  towns,  or  dates,  of  some  parade ; 

They've  worked  to  make  our  book  bring   fame 

To  Buckeyes  true — so  save  your  blame. 

And  not  alone  the  editors 

Have  written  all  the  frills  and  fur's — 

Officers  and  enlisted  men 

Have  helped  us  with  a  wicked  pen. 

A  story  here,  perhaps  a  verse. 

And  much  was  fine  and  some  was — worse! 

H  there  was  room  for  yours  or  not, 

We  thank  you  for  you've  helped  a  lot. 

Forgive  us   if  you   find  a  slip — 

Some  town  that  should  have  been  a  ship. 

Or  wrongly  named  some  place  where  we 

Threw  terror   into  Germany ; 

Read  on  and  pass  it  with  a  smile. 

And  tell  yourself,  '"The  book's  worth  while." 

Now,  thanking  one  and  all,  we're  through, 

It's  time  to  grab  our  army  stew. 


THELIAISON  129 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 

And  now  it's  all  over.  The  Great  Experience  is  about  to  come  to  a  most 
glorious  conclusion.  We,  as  Americans,  volunteered  in  the  service  of  our  Coun- 
try when  the  call  came.  Throughout  those  days  of  training  at  Camp  Sheridan 
and  later  at  Camp  de  Souge,  our  minds  were  filled  with  a  single  thought,  a  single 
purpose — preparing  ourselves  to  do  our  liit  in  winning  the  war.  While  on  the 
front,  we  went  through  experiences  which  should  have  a  broadening  effect  on  our 
natures  and  an  ennobling  effect  on  our  minds.  No  man  will  leave  the  service 
without  feeling  kindlier  toward  his  fellow  man,  without  knowing  better,  the  value 
of  his  life,  given  to  him  to  do  with  as  he  may.  It  remains  to  us,  therefore,  to  so 
mould  our  lives  that  we  may  continue  to  do  our  Bit  in  Civil  life,  profiting  by  our 
broadened  views.  Although  the  war  has  been  won  and  Democracy  has  triumphed, 
there  are  mariy  problems  of  great  import  which  will  present  themselves  for  years 
to  come.  We  citizens  will  have  to  solve  these  problems  just  as  efficiently,  just 
as  determinedly,  as,  while  soldiers,  we  solved  the  German  riddle.  And,  as  in  the 
days  of  our  war  training,  so  now,  we  must  prepare  ourselves  for  the  task.  When 
we  return  to  our  respective  posts  in  Civil  life,  every  man  should  keep  in  constant 
touch  with  civic  affairs  and,  by  his  vote,  see  to  it  that  those  principles  for  which 
he  fought,  prevail  and  govern  the  destinies  of  our  Country.  Your  preparation 
for  taking  part,  will,  however,  not  be  in  the  form  of  carrying  out  weekly  drill 
schedules,  as  in  the  war  days.  You  will  have  to  decide  these  civic  questions  for 
yourself  and  your  main  source  of  knowledge  will  be  the  newspapers  and  the  maga- 
zines. Every  man  wnll  be  his  own  instructor,  his  own  pupil,  and  everything  will 
be  up  to  him.  Give  the  questions  which  may  arise,  the  fullest  possible  considera- 
tion, look  at  them  impartially,  if  you  can.  from  every  angle  and  then,  after  you 
have  made  your  decision,  act.  That  will  be  doing  your  duty  to  your  native  land, 
only  continuing  the  work  that  you  have  just  completed,  fighting,  tooth  and  nail, 
for  Right,  Justice,  Home  and  Countrv. 


FINIS 


SECTION  IV 


Directory 


MILITARY  RECORDS  AND  HOME  ADDRESSES 

HARRY  C.  ABBOTT,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Private  1st  Class,  appointed  October  23,  1918.     Enlisted  July  15.  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
LOUIS  H.  ACKERMAN,  Fredericktown,  Ohio. 

Enlisted   July  21,    1917,   at    Mt.   Vernon,   O.,   in    Battery   E,    1st   O.    F.   A.     Appointed 

Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  67,  December  3,  1918.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  24, 

March  1,  1918.     Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  58,  May  1,  1918. 
ROSS  G.  ALEXANDER,  R.  D.  No.  2,  Glenmont,  O. 

Enlisted  July   17,    1917,   at  Akron,   O.     Appointed    Musician    3rd   Class,    September    11, 

1917.     Transferred  to  Battery  B,  134th  F.  A.,  May  4,   1918.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.. 

August  1,  1918.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class,  August  2,  1918. 
JOHN  A.  AMES,  Piermont,  N.  H. 

Inducted  into  service  May  31,  1918,  at  Woodville,  N.  H.,  and  assigned  to  Hq.  Co.,  7th 

Bn.,  F.  A.  R.  D.,  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C,  June  29,  1918.     Joined  Hqs.  Co.,   134th  F.  A., 

at  Millery,  France,  October  15,  1918. 
JOSEPH  D.  ANDERSON,  631  E.  127th  St.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted   July  8,   1916,   in  Ohio   Signal   Corps.     Transferred  to  47th   Co..    156th   D.   B, 

Camp  Jackson,  S.  C,  May  18,  1918.     Transferred  to  7th  Reg.,  F.  A.  R.  D.,  July,   1918. 

Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  October,  1918. 
JOSEPH  D.  APPLEMAN,  741  Hillsdale  Ave.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
JOHN  F.  ASHLEY,   Bentonville,  Ark. 

Enlisted  May  19,  1917,  at  Camp  Perry,  O.,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  125,  October  25,  1918. 
FORD  W.  BARRETT,  41  Highland  Ave.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  June  22,  1916,  at  Akron,  O.,  in  Battery  B,  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co, 

per  R.  S.  O.  23,  September  14,  1917,  and  appointed  Courier. 
WILLIAM  ED.  BASH,  Roseville,  O. 

Enlisted  July  13,  1917,  at  Akron.  O.    Was  appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47.  October 

18,  1917. 
GARRISON  L.  BEACHY,  807  Rex  Ave.  N.  E..  Canton.  O. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Was  appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  23,  Septem- 
ber 23.  1917. 

MOSES  BECKENSTEIN,  1622  Washington  St.,  Charleston.  W.  Va. 

Enlisted  in  Hqs.  Co.  at  Akron,  O.     Transferred  to  62nd  F.  A.  Brigade  Hqs. 

EDWIN  L.  BELL,  Box  473,  Toledo,  O. 

Inducted  into  service  at  Toledo,  O.,  July  24,  1918.  Assigned  to  156th  Depot  Brigade, 
Camp  Jackson,  S.  C.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.  at  Millery,  France,  October  15,  1918. 

GEORGE  W.  BENNETT.  727  S.  63rd  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Enlisted  November  4.  1917,  at  Columbus  Barracks,  O.,  and  assigned  to  Battery  C. 
134th  F.  A.,  at  Camp  Sheridan,  Ala.,  November  7,  1917.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per 
R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1,  1918. 


134  THELIAISON 

STEPHEN  N.  BERARDI,  4005  E.  86th  St.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted  September  4,  1917.  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1, 

1918. 
HAROLD  P.  BERRY,  123  Oxford  Ave.,  Dayton,  O. 

Enlisted  in  Battery  D,  134th  F.  A.,  at  Dayton,  O.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  at  Camp 

Mariaux,  France.    Appointed  Corporal  in  Batterj'  D. 
BRADFORD  V.  BEVIER,  98  12th  St.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted   in    1st   O.    F.   A.    for    service    at   the    Mexican   border.     Appointed    .Sergeant. 

Appointed  to  Sauniur  Artillery  Training  School  for  Officers  while  in  France. 
JOHN  W.  BIDWELL,  509  N.  Iowa  Ave.,  Washington.  Iowa. 

Enlisted  April  8,  1918,  in  A.  M.  T.  D.,  New  York  University.     Transferred  to  10th  Tr. 

Bn.,  F.  A.  R.  D.,  June  12,  1918.     Appointed  Sergeant  July  8.  1918,  per  S.  O.  29,  Hqs. 

4th  Reg.,  2nd  Brig.,  F.  A.  R.  D.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A. 
WILLIAM  M.  BIGGIE,  208  Baird  Ave.,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  August  28,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September 

11,  1917.     Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class  September  5,  1918. 
POWELL  J.  BING,  299  Brehl  Ave.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  June  1,  1917,  at  Columbus,  O.,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Musician 

3rd  Class  August  13,  1918. 
JOHN  B.  BOLIN. 

Inducted  into  service  at  Watseka,  111.,  June  28,  1918.     Assigned  to   156th  D.  B.,  Camp 

Jackson,  S.  C,  June  28,  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October 

15,  1918. 
ALVIN  D.  BORDEN,  157  W.  South  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  November  15,  1915,  at  Akron,  O.,  in  Battery  B,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  August  17,  1918.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  129,  November  1,  1918,  at 

Vigneulles.  France. 
WESLEY  E.  BOVEY,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  August  22,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake.  O.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  November 

13,  1917.    Appointed  Musician  1st  Class  September  5,  1918. 
HOWARD  O.  BOWMAN,  532  E.  Buchtel  Ave.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  November  15,  1915.  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per 

R.  S.  O.  50,  October  21,  1917.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class,  August  1,  1918. 
PARKE  R.  BOYER,  24  Shawe  Ave.,  Lewistown,  Pa. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
RALPH  BRADFORD.  Powell,  Wyo. 

Enlisted  June  20.    1916.     Appointed  Corporal  July   1,   1918.     Transferred  to   Hqs.   Co., 

134th  F.  A.,  at  LeLion  d' Angers,  France. 
ELMER  P.  BRENFLECK,  235  Pioneer  St..  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  June  25.   1916.  at  Briggsdale.  O.,  in  Battery  C,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918. 
EVERETT  J.  BROWN,  7  Wine  St.,  Uniontown,  Pa. 

Enlisted  July  13,   1917,  at  Akron,  O.     Appointed  1st  Class   Private  at  Camp  Mariaux, 

France. 
JOSEPH  J.  BROWN.  1222  Francis  St.,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918,  at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.    Transferred  from  159th  D.  B. 

at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor.  Ky..  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  May 
18.  1918. 
FLOYD  G.  BROWNE.  Haskins,  O. 

Enlisted  July  26.   1917,  at  Bowling  Green,   O..  in   Co.   K.  2iid  Ohio  Inf.     Transferred 

to  1st  Tr.  Bn.,  Camp  Sheridan.  Depot  Brigade.  October  4.  1917.     Transferred  to  Co.  K. 

146th  Inf.,  October  25,  1917.     Transferred  to  134th  F.  A.  and  assigned  to  Hq.  Co.  per 

D.  S.  O.  88.  November  29.  1917.    .\ppointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  72,  June  1,  1918. 


THELIAISON  135 

GEORGE  H.  BULL,  534  Boone  St.,  Piqua,  O. 

Enlisted  April  16,   1917,  in  Battery  D,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  62nd  F.  A.  Brig. 

Hdqs.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.,  L34th  F.  A.    Appointed  Corporal. 
STANLEY  W.  BULLARD,  cjo  N.  W.  Baldwin,  Ellet,  O. 

Enlisted  June  24,  1916,  at  Akron,  O.,  in  BaUery  B,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Sergeant 

and  transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  3,  January  6,  1918. 
CHARLES  E.  BULLOCK,  2412  Mahoning  Rd.  N.  E.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  24,   1917,  at  Akron.   O.     Appointed    Private    1st   Class   October  25,    1917. 

Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  44.  April  16.  1918.     Appointed  Sergeant  per  R,  S.  O. 

90,  August  4,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

EMIL  S.  BUNGER,  305  S.  Main  St.,  Oxford,  O. 

Enlisted  June  6,  1917,  at  Dayton,  O..  in  Battery  D,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs. 
Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918. 

PAUL  H.  BURTON,  1928  E.  86th  St.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted  June  21,   1916,  at  Cleveland,  O.,  in  Battery  A,   1st  O.   F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  Per  R.  S.  O.  122,  October  18,  1918. 
RALPH  H.  CANFIELD,   10022  Pierpont  Ave.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted  May  28,  1917,  at  Cleveland,  O.,  in  Battery  A,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Bugler 

September  6,    1917.     Transferred  to   Hqs.   Co.   October    18,   1916.     Appointed   Corporal 

per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918.  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
HERVEY  D.  CHANDLER,  Cadiz,  O. 

Enlisted  May  25,  1917,  at  Newark,  O.,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Private 

1st  Class   November  1,  1917.     Appointed  Corporal  November  1,   1917.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  68,  May  18,  1918. 

MAYZON  CHINNIS,  921  N.  3rd  St.,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  72,  June  1,  1917. 
WILLIAM  K.  CLEARY,  R.  D.  No.  2,  Sarahsville,  O. 

Inducted  into  service  May  31,  1918.  at  Caldwell,  O.,  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D.,  Camp 

Jackson,   S.   C,  June   5,    1918.     Joined   Hqs.   134th   F.  A.,  at   Millery,   France,   October 

15,  1918. 
FRED  S.  CLINTON,  Gorin,.  Mo. 

Enlisted  July  17,   1917,   at   Akron,   O.     Appointed    Private    1st   Class   October   25,    1917. 

Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  58,  May  1,  1918.     Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  90, 

August  4,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

OKEY  M.  COGAR,  Webster  Springs,  W.  Va. 

Enlisted  July  14.  1917.  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  54,  October  26, 
1917. 

JOHN  H.  CONEY,  329  W.  113th  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Enlisted  July  25,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  April  23,  1918. 
ARTHUR  F.  COOPER,  337  Graves  Court,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  June  19,  1916,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  October  25, 

1917.     Appointed  Corporal  June  1,  1918. 

CHARLES  S.  COY,  424  W.  Broadway,  Alliance,  O. 

Enlisted  July  19,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  2nd  Class  Musician  September  11,  1917. 
Appointed  Band  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  92,  August  12,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

WILLIAM  W.  CUMMINS,  Mt.  Vernon,  O. 

Enlisted  May  31,  1917.  at  Mt.  Vernon,  O..  in  Battery  E,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to 
Hqs.  Co.  January  3.  1918.  Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  March  1,  1918.  Appointed 
Musician  2nd  Class  September  5,  1918.  Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  143 
November  19,  1918,  at  Camp  Mariaux,  France. 


136  THE     LIAISON 

PATRICK  DAVITT,   Shawnee,  O. 

Enlisted  August  17,  1917,  at  New  Lexington,  O.,  in  Co.  H,  7th  Ohio  Inf.     Transferred 

to  Battery  D,  134th  F.  A..  October  18,1917.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  August  1.  1918. 

Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 
GEORGE  R.  DEFORREST,  911  W.  3rd  St.,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  September  20,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.,  and  assigned  to  Battery  A.    Transferred 

to  Supply  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  32,  :^Iarch  15,  1918.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 

116,  October  14,  1918. 
ANDREW  E.  DEMSHAW,  Lawndale,  O. 

Enlisted  September  10,  1917.  at  Silver  Lake.  O.    Transferred  to  Battery  B,  per  R.  S.  O. 

35,   September  25,   1917.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.   S.   O.   51,   October  22,    1917. 

Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  25,  1917. 
CLINTON  S.  DENTY,  2715  14th  St.  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
JAMES  DONALDSON,  2  Teulon  St.,  Kirkdale.  Liverpool.  England. 

Enlisted  September  10,   1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  January 

11,  1918.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge.  France. 
JOHN  RAYMOND  DUFF,  110  Coal  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted   August  28,   1917,  at    Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed   Private   1st   Class   at   Camp 

Mariaux,  France. 
WILBUR  V.  DUNN,  67  W.  Broad  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls.  O. 

Enlisted  in  Battery  B  for  Border  Service.     Appointed  Sergeant.     Appointed  to  Saumur 

Artillery  Training  School  for  Officers  while  in  France.     Attached  to  Hqs.   Co.,   134th 

F.  A. 
HENRY  C.  FELTON,  36  Kuder  Ave.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July    16.    1917,    at   Akron,   O.     Appointed   Musician   3rd    Class    September    11, 

1917. 
EMERSON  C.  FISHER.  217  5th  St.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  17.  1917.  at  Akron,  O.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11,  1917. 
GEORGE  FITZPATRICK,  531  S.  Water  St.,  Kent,  O. 

Enlisted  August  2,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed  Band  Sargeant  per  R.  S.  O.  21 , 

September  13,  1917. 
HENRY  A.  FLAHARTY.  23  N.  West  St..  Mt.  Vernon,  O. 

Enlisted  August  29.  1917.  at  Columbus  Barracks.  O.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O. 

48,  October  18,  1917. 
LAWRENCE  L.  FLETCHER.  17  Belmont  Ave.,  Mt.  Vernon,  O. 

Enlisted  June  2,  1917.  at  Mt.  Vernon,  O.,  in  Battery  E.  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  June  4,  1918.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  June  12,  1918. 
GEORGE  J.  FLYNN,  2767  Kirkbridge  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Enlisted   with    Battery    B    for   Border    Service.     Appointed    Bugler   Sergeant   at    Camp 

Sheridan.  Ala.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co. 
LEO  C.  FOX.  47  S.  Bell  St.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  June  24,  1916,  at  Columbus,  O..  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Bugler 

June  6,  1917.     Transferred  to  Hq.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  68.  May  18.  1918. 
HOMER  H.  FRANKENSTEIN,   1022  Duber  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  17,  1917,  at  Akron.  O.     Appointed  Horseshoer  February  6.  1918. 
STANLEY  K.  FR.A.TER,.  516  E.  Market  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  19,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.    Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class,  September  11,  1917. 

Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  92,  August  12,  1918  at  Camp  de  Souge.  France. 
HAROLD  J.  FREDERICK.  10517  Orville  Ave.,  Cleveland.  O. 

Enlisted  May  8,  1917,  at  Cleveland,  O.,  in  Hqs.  Co.,  135th  F.  A.    Appointed  Musician  3rd 

Class  July  14,  1917.     Transferred  to  134th  F.  A.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.  November  2, 

1917.    Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class  November  13,  1917. 


THE     LIAISON  137 

JOHN  R.  FRIEL,  Altoona,  Pa. 

Enlisted  June  21,  1916,  at  Akron,  O..  in  Battery  B.  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Cook  June 

21,   1916.     Transferred  to  Hqs.   Co.  per  Bn.  S.  O.  2,  July  10,   1917.     Appointed  Color 

Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  2,  August  10,  1917. 
CLEO  W.  FRY,  21  W.  BANCROFT  St.,  Toledo  O. 

Enlisted  May  25,  1917,  at  Camp  Perry,  O.    Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  12,  August 

13,   1917. 
EARSLE  R.  FRYE,  1904  Boulevard,  Kenmore,  O. 

Enlisted   July    17,    1917,   at   Akron,    O.     Appointed    Band    Corporal    per    R.    S.    O.    2], 

September    13,   1917.     Appointed   Band   Sergeant  per  R.   S.   O.  92,  August   12,   1918,  at 

Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
LOUIS  M.  GILLESPIE,  338  Atwood  Place,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  June  4,   1917,  at  Camp   Perry,  O.     Appointed  First  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  2, 

August  10,  1917. 
PERCY  A.  GIRT,  1639  Bryan  Ave.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  25,  1917,  at  Akron.  O.     Appointed  Mecbanic  October  25,  1917. 
WILLARD  P.  GOUDY,  204  4th  St.  N.  E.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  in  July,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
HUBERT  F.  GRACE      625  W.  Jefferson  St.,  Fort  Wayne,  Tnd. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918,  at  P'ort  Wayne,  Ind.     Transferred  from  159  D.  B. 

at  Camp  Zacbary  Taylor,  Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A..  May 

18,    1918. 
HARRY  W.  GREENBURG,  207  Ash  St..  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  in  Battery  B  at  Camp  Perry.  O.,  June  5.   1917.     Appointed   Private  1st  Class 

October  26,  1918.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  November  8.  1917.  Trans- 
ferred to  Hqs.  Co.  and  appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  24,  March  1,  1918.     Appointed 

Reg.  Sgt-Major  per  R.  S.  O.  58,  ^lay  1,  1918. 

CLETUS  H.  GRIFFITH,  Oakland,  Md. 

Enlisted  July  13,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  25,  1917. 

HENRY  GRIGSBY,  Owensville,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  29,  1918,  at  Princeton,  Ind.  Transferred  from  159  D.  B. 
at  Camp  Taylor,  Ky..  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A.,  May  22,  1918. 

CLYDE  H.  GRIMM,  Smithfield,  Pa. 

Enlisted  August  28,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.  Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September 
11,  1917.  Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S,  O.  61,  November  13,  1917.  Reduced  to 
Private  at  his  own  request  and  appointed  Musician   1st  Class   November   19,   1918. 

CYRIL  A.  GUTHRIE,  325  N.  Elm  St..  Bellefontaine.  O. 

Enlisted  June  11,  1917,  in  Supply  Co.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  October  13.  1917. 
Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  October  13,  1917.  Appointed  Musician  1st  Class,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1918. 

CHESTER  L,  HABLE,  3021  7th  St.  S.  W.,  Canton.  O. 

Enlisted  July  17,   1917.   at  Akron,  O.     Appointed   Private    1st   Class   October  25,    1917. 

Appointed  Horseshoer  March  6,  1918. 
FRANCIS  M.  HALE,  Russell  Springs,  K}-. 

Inducted  into   service  April  26,   1918,  at  Jamestown,  Ky.     Transferred  from   159  D.   B. 

at  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A..  Mav  17.  1918. 
MARTIN  D.  HANEY,  Plain  City,  O. 

Enlisted  June  22,   1916,  at  Columbus.  O..  in  Battery  C.   1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  28,  September  28,  1917. 
WILLIAM  E.  HARLOR.  1504  Oak  St.,  Columbus,  O. 
Enlisted  August  16.  1915,  at  Briggsdale,  O..  in  Battery  C,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Bugler 

June  23,  1917.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  56,  November  5,  1917. 


138  THELIAISON 

WILLIAM  G.  HARRIS,  783  Upson  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14,   1917  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.   S.  O.  47,  October  18. 

1917. 
ERSKINE  A.  HART. 

Enlisted   April    16,    1917.   at   Dayton.   O..   in    Battery   D,   1st   O.   F.   A.     Transferred   to 

Hcjs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4.  1918.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1.  1918. 
JOHN  W.  HAUCK.  1325  DeBarr  St.,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Enlisted  September  4,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O. 
WALTER  G.  HEIDEN.  1515  W.  19tb  St.,  Anderson.  Ind. 

Inducted   into  service  April  25.   1918.     Transferred   from   159th   D.   B.  at  Camp  Taylor. 

Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Battery  C,   134th  F.  A.,  May  19,  1918.     Transferred 

to  Hqs.  Co.  August  1,  1918.     Appointed  Alusician  3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 
GABRIEL  HIRSCH,  115  W.  Ray  St.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918.     Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor 

Ky.,   to  37th   Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,   134th   F.   A.,   May   17,   1918.     Appointed 

Musician  3rd  Class  August  1,  1918. 
WILBUR  E.   HOFFMAN,   1006  Greenfield  Ave.   S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  September  24,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.,    Appointed  Mechanic  October  12.  1917. 
OVID  E.  HOOD,  2622  Columbus  Ave.,  Anderson,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  25.  1918.     Transferred  from   I59th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 

Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  ]klay  22,  1918. 

MARK  W.  HOUSER,  318  W.  Baird  Ave.,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  27.  Septem- 
ber 13,  1917. 

ROY  C.  HOUSER,  229  N.  Balliet  St.,  Frackville,  Pa. 

Inducted  into  service  June  17,  1918,  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D.  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C. 
August  15.  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A." at  Millery,  France.  October  15,  1918. 

H.  A.  HOWELL,  255  Union  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

Enlisted  August  28,  1917.  at  Silver  Lake,  O.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  April  10, 
1918.     Appointed  Corporal  at  Camp  Stuart,  Va.,  March,  1919. 

HENRY  G.  HUDSON,  Petros,  Tenn. 

Enlisted  September  10.  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.  Assigned  to  Battery  B.  134th  F.  A., 
September  15,  1917.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918.  Appointed 
Private  1st  Class  August  1,  1918. 

GLENN  K.  HUNSINGER,  209  W.  Ray  St.,  St.,  Oxford  O. 

Enlisted  June  4,  1917,  in  Battery  D,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  November 
1.  1917.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918.  Appointed  Corporal 
per  R.  S.  O.  45.  :\Iarch  27,  1919. 

HERBERT  L.  HUPRICH,  843  S.  Market  St..  Canton,  O. 
Enlisted  July  25,  1917,  at  Akron,  0- 

HERBERT  W.  HUTCHINSON,  167  Chirnell  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Enlisted  July  17,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.    Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class  September  11.  1917. 

PERCY  W,  JACKSON,  1513  Duber  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  June  5,  1917,  at  Camp  Perry,  O.,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Appointed  Private 
1st  Class  October  26,  1917.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4.  1918. 
Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

RHUE  JACKSON,  Owensburg,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  29,  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 
Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  V.  A.,  May  19.  1918. 

ALEXANDER  D.  JEFFERSON,  R.  D.  No.  2,  Moundsville,  W.  Va. 
Enlisted  July  13,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 


T  H  E     L  I  A  I  S  O  N  139 

GARRETT  C.  JOACHIM,  67  Cole  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11,  1917. 
Appointed  Musician  1st  Class  September  5,  1918. 

JOHN  R.  JONES,  98  N.  Front  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  July  13,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Cook  October  2,  1917.  Appointed 
Mess  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  94,  August  14,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

PAUL  M.  JONES,  847  W.  Main  St.,  Ravenna,  O. 

Enlisted  June  22,  1916,  at  Akron,  O.,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs. 
Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  23,  September  14,  1917.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1,  1918. 
Appointed  Courier. 

JAMES  P.  JUDGE,  112  W.  North  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Band  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  40,  October 
4,  1917.    Reduced  to  Private  at  his  own  request  per  R,  S.  O.  89,  August  1.  1918. 

LORIN  E.  KIRTLEY,  50  Spruce  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  23,  September 
7,  1917.  Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  5,  January  19,  1918.  Appointed  Bn.  Sgt.- 
Major  per  R.  S.  O.  100,  September  1,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

IRA  KLINGENSMITH,  Duvall,  O. 

Enlisted  March  7,  1918,  at  Columljus  Barracks,  O.,  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A., 
at  Camp  Sheridan,  Ala.,  March  12,  1918.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  23,  1918. 

FREEMONT  R.  KNICK,  2510  S.  F  St.,  Elwood,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  25,  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 
Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  May  21,  1918. 

EMIL  KROLL,  606  Howard  St.,  Hammond,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  27,  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 
Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  .Battery  C,  134th  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co, 
per  R.  S.  O.  89.  August  1,  1918.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 

GEORGE  J.  LARKO,  1391  Curtiss  St.  So.  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  17,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11. 
1917.     Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class  September  5,   1918. 

WALTER  P.  LASH,  917  Duber  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  18,  1917,  at  Akron.  O.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47,  October  18, 
1917.     Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  72,  June  1,  1918. 

JOSEPH  J.  LAUER,  Ottoville,  O. 

Enlisted  July  23,  1917,  in  Co.  M.  2nd  Ohio  Inf.  Transferred  to  Co.  K.  146th  Inf..  Octo- 
ber 25,  1917.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A..  November.  1917. 

CARL  F.  LOEWENDICK.  406  W.  Church  St.,  Newark,  O. 

Enlisted  May  21.  1917,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  December 
1.  1918.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  89.  August  1,  1918.  .\ppotnted  Musician 
3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 

EDWARD  W.  LONG.  731  Union  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  24.  1917.  at  Akron.  O.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  November  26,  1917. 
Appointed  Saddler  March  20,   1918. 

HARLEY  L.  LONG.  Lawndale,  O. 

Enlisted  July  17.  1917,  at  Akron.  O.  .Appointed  Band  Leader  per  R.  S.  O.  27.  Septem- 
ber U,   1917. 

GUY  H.  LONG,  1651  Van  Buren  St..  Louisville,  Ky. 

Enlisted  September  6,   1917,  at  Silver  Lake.  O.     Appointed  Cook  June   12,   1918. 

LAWRENCE  L.  LONG,  Lawndale.  O. 

Enlisted  July  17.  1917.  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Musician  1st  Class  September  11. 
1917. 


140  THELIAISON 

OLIVER  LONGEST,  Vincennes,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  29,  1918.     Transferred  from  159  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor,  Ky., 

to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  May  19,  1918. 
JOHN  J.  MACK,  366  Fulton  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Enlisted  June  29,  1916,  in  Battery  A,  1st  O.  F.  A.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 

28,  September  14,  1917. 
KARL  H.  MACK,  50  S.  Eureka  Ave..  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  June  1,  1917,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.    Appointed  Bugler  December  18,  1917. 

Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.   S.  O.  92,  August   10,   1918.     Appointed   ^^lusician  3rd 

Class  August  13,  1918. 
NORMAN   S.  MACK.  50  S.  Eureka  Ave.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  June  1,  1917,  in  Battery  C.  1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 

2,  August  10,  1917. 
LEO  T.  MANLEY,  1402  Scoville  Ave.  S.  W..  Canton.  O. 

Enlisted  July    17,    1917.     Appointed   Musician   3rd    Class    September    12.    1917.     Trans- 
ferred to  Battery  B  as  Private  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918.     Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co. 
per  R.  S.  O.  73.  June  4,  1918.    Appointed  Musician  3d  Class  June  12,  1918. 
ELMER  C.  MARKHOFER,  327  E.  5th  St.,  Jasper,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918.     Transferred  from   159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 

Ky.,  to  37th  Div,  and  assigned  to  Battery  A,  134th  F.  A.,  May  17,  1918.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  79,  June  18,  1918. 
FRANK  J.  MARLEY,  1934  Bainbridge  St..  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Inducted  into  service  May  31,  1918.  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D.  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C, 

June  8,  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,   134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October  15.  1918. 
ROBERT  S.  :MERRELL,  165  N.  Prospect  St.,  Ravenna,  Ohio. 

Enlisted  May  3,  1917,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 

58,   November  5,   1917.     Transferred  to  Battery  D  per  R.  S.  O.   10.  January  24,   1918. 

Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  84,  July  19,  1918. 
LAWRENCE  C.  MERTZ.  809  S.  Erie  St.,  Toledo,  O. 

Enlisted  May  28.  1917.  at  Camp  Perry,  O.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  2,  August 

11,  1917.     Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  38,  October  1,  1917.     Appointed  Bn.   Sgt.- 

Major  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France,  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918. 
EMLYN  S.  MEYLER,  804  Meridian  Ave.,  N.  Anderson,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  25,  1918.     Transferred  from   159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor. 

Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  May  21,  1918. 
CHARLES  H.  MILLER,  104  Arch  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  September  5,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O. 
DONALD  H.  MILLER,  697  W.  Market  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted   November   15.   1915.  in   Battery  B,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Transferred  to  Supply  Co. 

per  R.  S.  O.  7,  January  17,  1918.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918. 
RALPH  R.   MILLER,   14  Williard  St..  E.   Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  25,  1917.     Appointed  Cor- 
poral per  R.  S.  O.  72.  June  1,  1917. 
ROBERT  W.  MILLER,  40  S.  3rd  St.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  October  5,  1917,  in  Battery  B.  134th  F.  A.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 

60.  May  4.  1918.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1,  1918. 
EARL  C.  MOORE.  1528  Creston  Rd..   Cambridge  O. 

Enlisted  July  24,   1917,  at  Akron.  O.     Appointed   Private    1st  Class   October  25,    1917. 

Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  100,  September  1,  1918.  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France 
WILLIAM  F.  MOORE.  54  S.  Water  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted   July   13.    1917.   at  Akron.   O..    Appointed    Private    1st   Class   October  25.    1917. 

Appointed  Cook  November  26,  1917. 


THE     LIAISON  141 

JOHN  J.  MULLANE,  1622  School  St.,  Rockford,  111. 

Inducted  into  service  June  24,  1918,  and  assigned  to  156  D.  R.  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C. 

Joined  Hqs.  Co.,   134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October  15,   1918. 
GEORGE  W.  MYERS,  468  Carthage  Ave.,  Kent,  O. 

Enlisted  April  28,  1917,  at  Ravenna,  O.,  in  Co.  M,  10th  Ohio  Inf.     Transferred  to  Hqs. 

Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  per  D.  S.  O.  90,  November  29,  1917.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class 

February  12,  1918.    Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  92,  August  12,  1918,  at  Camp 

de  Souge,  France. 
ROBERT   D.   MYERS.  751   Brown   St..  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  September  6,   1917,  at   Silver  Lake,   O.     Appointed   Private   1st  Class  October 

25,   1917. 
VIRGIL  C.  McAVOY,  R.  F.  D.  No.  8,  Parkersburg,  W.  Va. 

Enlisted  August  28,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  January  11, 

1918.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  72.  June  1,  1918. 
FRANK  McCOY.  Bangor,  Me. 

Joined  Hqs.  Co.  in  France  from  a  Replacement  Regiment. 
BYRON  R.  McELWEE,  New  Albany,  O. 

Enlisted  May  29,   1917,  in  Battery  C,   1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed   Private  1st  Class  July 

20,  1917,    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918.     Appointed  Musician 

3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 
GILBERT  O.  McQUAID,  239  S.  Warren  St.,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  May  1,   1915,  in   Battery  C.   1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Corporal   September  20, 

1916.  Appointed    Sergeant    May    11,    1917.     Appointed    First    Sergeant    November   22, 

1917.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  and  appointed  Color  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August 
1,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 

EDWIN  A.  NEUBARTH,  330  Wall  St..  c|o  Mr.  A.  L.  Neubarth,  Chico,  Cal. 

Enlisted  December  4,  1916,  in  Hqs.  Co.,  2nd  Cal.  Inf.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.,  159th 
Inf..  December  26,  1917.  Transferred  to  S4th  Div.,  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  March  8,  1918. 
Transferred  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Flqs.  Co.  134th  F.  A.,  May  17,  1918.  Ap- 
pointed Musician  3rd  Class  June  12,  1918.  Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class.  September 
5,  1918. 

MILLER  J.  NEWTON,  Morrow,  O. 

Enlisted  May  14,  1917,  in  Battery  D,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hq.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 
60,  May  4.  1918.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  146,  December  1,  1918. 

MAX  S.  NTEDBALSKI,  3914  E.  66th   St.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  from  Supply  Co.  per  S.  O.  23,  February  11,  1919, 
and  appointed  Private  1st  Class. 

JOHN  M.  NUCKOLS,  2SK  W.  2nd  Si..  Dayton.  O.      ' 

Enlisted  April  16,  1917.  in  Battery  D.  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 
60,  May  4.  1918. 

LESTER  C.  OLINGER.  807  Rex  Ave.  N.  E..  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14.  1917,  at  Akron,  O.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  September  6,  1917. 
Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47,  October  18,  1917. 

GEORGE  L.  PAGE.  IndianapoHs,  Ind.  ""'     :  , 

Inducted  into  service  April  26.  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  T'aylor, 
Ky.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Battery  C.  134th  F.  A.,  May  18,  1918.  Transferred  to 
Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  August  2,  1918. 

GEORGE  W.  POINTS,  72  Dodge  Ave.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  September  14,  1917,  at  Silver  Lake.  0.  Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47, 
October  18.  1917.    Appointed  Stable  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  72.  June  1,  1918. 

STARLING  J.  POPE,  24  N.  Balch  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Inducted  into  service  July  24.  1918.  and  assigned  to  156th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C, 
July  26.  1918.     Joined  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October  15,  1918. 


142  THELIAISON 

LOUIS  PURSiAN,  598  E.  Elm  St.,  Wabash,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 
Ky..  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  llqs.  Co.,  134th  E.  A.,  May  17,  1918. 

EL.MER  W.  RADABAUGH,  1019  :\Ionroe  St.,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Inducted  into  service  June  17,  1918,  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D.,  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C, 
June  26,  1918.     Joined  i-lqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  Erance,  October  15,  1918. 

HARRY  R.  RAINES,  221   Institute    Place,   Chicago,   111. 

Enlisted  February  11,  1918,  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  136th  F.  A.,  at  Camp  Sheridan, 
Ala.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F".  A.,  October  4,  1918.  Appointed  .Musician  3rd 
Class  November  3,  1918. 

RALPH  RENNER,  911  Camden  Ave.,  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 
Enlisted  July  24,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 

RUSSELL  RENNER,  R.  F.  D.  No.  1.  North  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  25,  1917.  Appointed  Cook  September  6,  1917.  Reduced  to  Private  at  his 
own  request  November  26,  1917.     Appointed  Cook  August  14,   1918. 

EDWARD  C.  L.  RESENER,  1631  Park  Ave.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  25,  1918,  and  assigned  to  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor,  Ky. 
Transferred  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,   134th  F.  A.,  May  23,   1918.     Ap- 
pointed Musician  3rd  Class  June  12,  1918.     Appointed  Musician  2nd  Class,  September  5, 
1918. 

E.  C.  RETZLER,  709  W.  5th  St..  Uhrichsville,  O. 

Enlisted  June  27,  1916,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F".  A.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  Novem- 
ber 1,  1917.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918. 

FRED  W.  REYNOLDS,  603  Chestnut  St.,  Coshocton,  O. 

Enlisted  April  28,  1917,  in  Battery  D,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O. 
60,  May  4,  1918. 

DAVID  E.  RHODES,  R.  D.  No.  14,  Mt.  Vernon,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  sersice  April  29,  1918.  Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Taylor, 
K\'.,  to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  May  17,  1918. 

MORGAN  A.  RINGO,  c|o  Goodyear  Rubber  Co.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  in  Hqs.  Co.  Appointed  Sergeant.  Transferred  to  Motor  Training  School 
while  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France.     Transferred  back  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A. 

RUSSELL  ROOKSTOOL,  Arcanum,  O. 

Enlisted  July  3,  1917,  in  Battery  D.  1st  O.  F.  A.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  and  appointed 
Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  39.  October  2,  1917.  Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  3.  January 
6,  1918. 

GEORGE  H.  ROOS,  45  Woodland,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  24.  1917.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  23,  1917. 

FRANK  H.  SCH ELLIN,  830  Sumner  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  13.  1917.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  September  6,  1917.  Appointed 
Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  4,  January  8,  1918. 

ALVIN  F.  SCH  MITT.  202  S.  Front  St..  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  August  28,  1917.  at  Silver  Lake.  O.  Appointed  Private  1st  Class  January  3, 
1918.    Appointed  Cook  May  2,  1918. 

ADAM  J.  SCHULTZ,  329  S.  7th  Ct..  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  .August  28.  1917.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1.  1918. 

HERBERT  H.  SCHULTZ,  821  Avon  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  January  5.  1918.  at  Ft.  Thomas.  Ky.  .\ssigned  to  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F".  A..  Febru- 
ary 12.  1918.  Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  March  1.  1918.  Appointed  Band  Corporal 
per  R.  S.  O.  92.  August  12,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge.  France. 

JAMES  SECCOMBE.   1210  4th  St.  S.  W.,  Canton.  O. 
Enlisted  July  17,  1917.  at  Akron,  O. 


THE     LIAISON  143 

HOWARD  A.  SENN,  70  Payne  Ave.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class,  August  1,  1918. 
WILLIAM  McK.  SHARP,  Salineville,  O. 

Enlisted  July  30,  1917.     Transferred  to  Battery  B,  September  16,  1917.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  May  4,  1918.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918,  at  Camp  de 

Souge,  France. 
WILLLAM  E.  SHEIL,  1209  12th  St.  N.  E.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  24,   1917,  at  Akron,  O.     Appointed  Private   1st  Class  September  6,   1917. 

Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47,  October  18,  1917.    Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O. 

58,  May  1,  1918.    Appointed  Supply  Sergeant  June  2,  1918. 
BOYD  SICKAFOOSE,  South  Whitney,  Ind. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11,  1917.     Appointed 

Musician  2nd  Class  September  5,  1918. 
RALPH  H.  SLEFFEL,  Columbus,  O. 

Enlisted  June  30,  1916,  in  Battery  C,  1st  O.  F.  A.     Appointed  Bugler  January  23,  1917. 

Appointed  Sgt.-Bugler  per  R.  S.  O.  70,  May  21,  1918. 
GEORGE  C  SLEICHER,  Eddyville,  Neb. 

Enlisted  June  10,  1918,  at  Ft.  Logan,  Neb.,  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D.,  Camp  Jackson, 

S.  C,  June  14,  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October  15,  1918. 
CHESTER  D.  SMITH.  State  St.,  R.  D.  No.  32,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  17,  1917,  at  Akron,  O.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11,  1917. 
LAWRENCE  SMITH,  R.  F.  D.  No.  7,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917.     Appointed  Band  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  27,  September  13,  1917. 
EDWIN  O.  SPINNER,  Lincoln  City,  Ind. 

Inducted  into  service  April  28,  1918.     Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.,  Camp  Taylor,  Ky., 

to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to   Battery  A,   134th  F.  A.,  May  22,    1918.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class,  Aug.  2,  1918 
WALDO  E.  STEPHENS,  Delaware,  O.,  Sunbury  Pike. 

Inducted   into  .service  at  Camp   Sheridan,  Ala.,   May   10,   1917.     Appointed    Private   1st 

Class  August  1,   1918.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.   S.   O.   107,   September    18,    1918,   at 

Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
PAUL  B.  SUTTON,  Crooksville,  O. 

Enlisted  July  3,  1917.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  48,  October  18,  1917. 
EARL  E.  TAYLOR,  428  B runner  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted    July    14,    1917,    at    Akron,    O.     Appointed    Private    1st    Class    August    1,    1917 

Appointed   Corporal   per   R.   S.   O.   45,    March   27,    1919. 
FLOYD  W.  TAYLOR,  300  W.  Center  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  July  15,  1917.     Transferred  to  Battery  D,  134th  F.  A.,  per  R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4, 

1918.    Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co. 
FRANCIS  M.  THAYER,  Lafayette,  O. 

Inducted  into  service  July  24.  1918,  and  assigned  to  156th  D.  B.  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C. 

July  27,  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery.  France,  October  15,  1918. 
GEORGE  L.  THOMAS,  1280  Central  Ave.,  Zanesville.  O. 

Enlisted  July  13,  1917.     Transferred  to  Battery  C.  September  15,  1917.     Transferred  to 

Hqs.  Co.  November  20,  1918. 
GEORGE  L.  THOMPSON,  Moorehead,  Minn. 

Enlisted  July  5,  1917,  at  Cleveland,  O..  in  Battery  B.  1st  O.  F.  A.    Transferred  to  Hqs. 

Co.  per  R.  S.  O.  23.  September  14,  1917.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  25,  1917. 
WILLIAM  H.  TRIMMER.  8004  Cory  Ave.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Enlisted   Septeml)er  10.  1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O. 


144  THE     LIAISON 

FLOYD  L.  TRUMP,  1015  Liberty  Ave..  Alliance,  O. 

Enlisted   July   30,    1917,    at    Silver    Lake,    O.     Appointed    Corporal    per    R.    S.    O.   47, 

October  18,  1917. 
HUBERT  M.  TUSSEY,  McAlerys  Fort,  Huntingdon  County,  Pa. 

Inducted  into  service  July  24,  1918,  and  assigned  to  156th  D.  B.,  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C, 

July  25,  1918.    Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  at  Millery,  France,  October  15,  1918. 
DONALD  M.  VANCE,  160  W.  Winter  St.,  Delaware.  O. 

Inducted  into  service  March  4,  1918,  having  enlisted  in  June.  1917,  in  the  Calif.  N.  G. 

Assigned  to   Battery   C,    134th   F.   A.,   March  25,    1918.     Transferred  to   Hqs.    Co.   per 

R.  S.  O.  60,  May  4,  1918.    Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  August  1,  1918. 
ALBERT  W.  WAGNER.  1168  Oakwood  Ave.,  Toledo,  O. 

Enlisted  May  28,  1917,  at  Camp  Perry,  O.    Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  12,  August 

12,  1917.    Appointed  Reg.  Sgt.-Major  August  1.  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
CLARENCE  L.  WALKER,  92  Brick  St.,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  O. 

Enlisted  November  15,  1915,  in  Battery  B,  1st  O.  F.  A.  Appointed  Cook  November  1, 
1916.  Transferred  to  Hqs.  Co.  and  appointed  Mess  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  25,  September 
25.  1917.    Relieved  as  Mess  Sergeant  and  appointed  Duty  Sergeant  August,  1918. 

GARRETT  M.  WALKER,  Albion.  111. 

Enlisted  June  4,  1918,  at  Jefferson  Barracks.  Mo.,  and  assigned  to  F.  A.  R.  D..  Camp 
Jackson.  S.  C.  June  7,  1918.  Joined  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  at  ^lillery,  France,  October 
15.  1918. 

HENRY  E.  WA:\1SLEY,  Arthur,  111. 
Enlisted  July  18.  1917,  at  Akron,  O.    Appointed  Band  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  27.  September 

13,  1917.  Appointed  Sgt.-Bugler  per  R.  S.  O.  40.  October  4,  1917.  Appointed  Asst. 
Band  Leader  per  R.  S.  O.  70,  May  21,  1918. 

DWIGHT  L.  WATSON,  302  Young  Ave.  S.  E.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47,  October  18,  1917. 
JOSEPFl  H.  WERNERT,  419  Vance  St..  Toledo,  O. 

Enlisted  May  28,  1917.  at  Camp  Perry,  O.    Appointed  Sergeant  per  R.  S.  O.  12,  August 

15,  1917. 
ALBERT  B.  WHALEN,  474  Kling  St.,  Akron,  O. 

Enlisted  September  5,  1917.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  October  25,   1917.     Appointed 

Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  89,  August  1,  1918.  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
RALPH  O.  WHITACRE.  1266  Cottage  Place  N.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July    14.    1917.     Appointed    Private    1st   Class    September  6.    1917.     Appointed 

Corporal  per  R.   S.  O.  47,   October  18,   1917.     Appointed   Sergeant  per  R.    S.   O.    100. 

September  1,  1918,  at  Camp  de  Souge,  France. 
JOHN  W.  WIEBELT,  R.  D.  No.  1,  Box  No.  96,  Ravenna,  O. 

Enlisted  August  28.  1918,  at  Silver  Lake.  O. 
JOHN  J.  WILDERMAN.  60  Centennial  St..  Grortburg.  Ind. 

Enlisted  July  19.  1917.     Appointed  Musician  3rd  Class  September  11.   1917. 
EDMUND  S.  WILHELM,  Justus.  O. 

Enlisted  September  3,   1917,  at  Silver  Lake,  O.     Appointed   Private   1st  Class  October 

25,  1917.     Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  24.  March   1,  1918.     .Appointed  Color  Sgt. 

per  R.  S.  O.  45,  March  27,  1918. 
JAMES  H.  WILLIAMS,  Dudley.  111. 

Inducted  into  service  April  27.  1918.     Transferred  from  159  D.  B..  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.. 

to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co..  134th  F.  A..  May  17.  1918. 
LLOYD  M.  WILLIAMS.  564  S.  Ohio  Ave..  Columbus.  O. 

Enlisted  May  28,  1917.  at  Camp  Perry.  O.    Appointed  Private  1st  Class  Octo1)er  25.  1917. 
ATLEE  WISE.  1011  W.  Market  St..  Akron.  O. 

Enlisted   in   Battery   B   for   Border   Service.     Appointed   to   Saumer   Artillery   Training 

Camp   for  Officers.     Transferred  to   Hqs.  Co. 


THELIAISON  145 

HARRY  E.  WISE,  715  Harrison  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47,  October  18,  1917. 
RALPH  E.  WISE,  715  Harrison  Ave.  S.  W.,  Canton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  14,  1917.    Appointed  Corporal  per  R.  S.  O.  47.  October  18,  1917. 
DANIEL  WOOTEN,  Wooten,  Ky. 

Inducted  into  service  April  26,  1918.    Transferred  from  159th  D.  B.,  Camp  Taylor,  Ky., 

to  37th  Div.  and  assigned  to  Hqs.  Co.,  134th  F.  A.,  jNIay  17,  1918. 
ARTHUR  A.  WOWRA,  143  Range  St.,  Barberton,  O. 

Enlisted  July  16,  1917,  at  Akron,  O. 
HARRY  W.  YOUNG,  1005  W.  Duncannon  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Enlisted   November   6,    1917,    at   Camp    Sheridan,   Ala.     Appointed    Musician    1st   Class 

November  13,  1917.     Appointed  Band  Sgt.  per  R.  S.  O.  92,  August  12,  1918,  at  Camp 

de  Souge,  France. 
IRA  D.  ZEIGLER,  331  Spring  St.,  Middletown,  O. 

Enlisted  July  13,  1917.     Appointed  Private  1st  Class  August  1,  1918. 


The  olive  branch  now  sways  beside  the  valiant  lily. 

The  mighty  eagle  now  floats  proudly  home  across  the  sea, 

The  world  enlightened  with  a  radiance  dearly  paid  for, 
The  dawn  of  peace  eternal,  life,  prosperity. 


SECTION  V 


Personal  Diary 


y 


IV1145941 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


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